Stealing
by B.RedBlade
Summary: Kay is a master thief. But the Ootori family has the best security team in the world. Kyoya's father sees potential, and offers Kay a deal; live as an honest rich person for one month, and work for him to test new security systems. In return, he won't press charges. Can a thief ever stop being a thief? Kyoya doesn't think so. Kyoya/OC
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, or any of it's characters. I do own Kay though.

A note to readers:

1. I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong.

2. Not the best at romance, so tell me if there's something I can fix.

* * *

Nobody saw Kay enter the mansion. She flew across the grounds on practiced feet, avoided the cameras, skimmed around the weight sensors, and stayed in the blind spots of the over-confident security guards. Kay couldn't help but grin as she slowed down near the rear of the building. The sky was on her side tonight; the moon was hidden, and any other light from the stars was covered by heavy clouds.

Kay stayed in the shadow of the back door of the mansion, and pulled a wire lock pick out of her black sleeve. Within seconds the door was opening silently under her hand. An advantage to robbing the rich: they hated squeaky doors. There was likely an alarm alerting a security team that the back-door had been opened, and Kay guessed she had about a minute to get upstairs and hide.

She was standing in a huge kitchen. It was neon white, even in the dark of the night, and spotlessly clean. She crept over the tiles in her black shoes and when she reached the doors leading into a carpeted dining-room, she rolled her eyes. Despite the fact that this house only held six people at most, the dining room table was large enough to hold a banquet every night. She guessed it was good for entertaining company, but this entire house was such a huge waste. These people didn't know how to spend money. She suddenly felt less guilty about her mission.

Kay crept found the carpeted grand staircase just outside the dining room. She ran up the steps, (silently of course), and looked around for a bedroom, preferably one that was occupied. The security guards wouldn't dare wake there masters for something that could be as routine as a maid forgetting to lock a door. At the third door she came to, Kay heard breathing. She slipped into the room next to that and her eyes widened when she realized she was not in a guest bedroom, but a study.

There was a single chair with three monitors facing it, all asleep. Behind that was a bookshelf covering the opposite wall and a filling cabinet next to the computer chair. The whole setup, along with the pristine cleanliness of the room, reminded Kay of an evil genius's lair from old superhero movies. Kay saw a door leading to the room with the person in it and concluded that this must be their office.

She figured she was safe, until she heard whispers from outside the door leading to the hallway.

"Sir, we can't disturb him while he's asleep!" The man sounded scared.

"Certainly we can. He's just a boy, after all," but this man seemed nervous, too. "Besides," he added, "we can just quietly check the adjoining rooms. No need to wake him because of a silly broken door."

Kay looked for somewhere to hide but found nothing. The computer chair was modern and took up little space, and the table holding the chairs offered no coverage either. It seemed the best place would be this guy's room. She tested the door attached to the guy's bedroom, and found it unlocked. She closed the door quietly behind her and was shocked to see nothing in this room but a bed and windows. Outside the windows was a nice view of the woods she had sprinted out of moments ago.

There was a sudden _bang _outside that made her jump and sent her scuttling under whoever-it-was's bed. When she waited five minutes and heard not even a move from above her, all she could think was _damn, he's a heavy sleeper._ There were two more bangs, growing closer to the door, before the guy finally tumbled out of bed and walked to the door.

He threw it open and shouted down the hall. When one of the security guards approached the door, he asked, "Y-yes, sir?"

"Why am I awake at three in the morning?" The guy asked simply. Kay got chills from all the way across the room. No doubt this guy was radiating a purple cloud of evil right now.

"J-just a routine search, sir," the guard answered, "We thought we heard noises and then Joe tripped on the-"

"I don't care," the guy cut him off, "Don't wake me again. Take care of the problem, and be silent about it, or I assure you, you will regret it."

The man shut the door before the guard could react, then climbed back into bed and fell asleep almost instantly. _Holy shit,_ Kay thought, _I wish I could fall asleep like that._

Kay waited a few more minutes to be safe, and when she heard nothing else from outside, she got up and crept to the door. The hallway was clear. Kay closed the door to the demon's room quietly behind her and tried to think of where a safe would be. Sane people would have it in their rooms or in basements; somewhere no one else would see it. But rich people were different. It was likely in a sitting room somewhere.

Kay went back down the silent staircase and into the first room she saw. There it was, shining like a fat onyx jewel in the corner of the room. The little security box gleamed, begging to be hacked. This was way too easy. Kay checked the room first; sure enough, there was a fireplace. It was right next to the safe. Perfect. Kay always had a backup in case the plan went wrong. Kay kneeled in front of the safe and just pulled out the hacking device from her pocket, when a voice said, "Freeze!"

Kay resisted the urge to curse and remained still as a statue.


	2. Chapter 2

A note to readers:

I don't own host club. Also, sorry this took so long. Finals are finally over.

* * *

"Turn around slowly; no sudden moves," said a male voice behind her.

Kay turned around to find not a member of the incompetents from outside demon-guy's room, but a man who looked steady on his feet and at ease with the gun pointed at her. Kay kept her hands positioned behind her back, hiding the device from view. She was working the box of matches out of her sleeve (opposite the lock-pick, of course).

"Let me see your hands," the guard demanded, "Now!"

In a sudden movement Kay lit the match and threw it and the device into the fireplace. The flame found the little packet of flammable material taped to the back, and soon the device was nothing but twisted metal and warped plastic.

It was risky, considering the guard could have rightfully shot her, but she was willing to take it. Her best friend and accomplice that designed the hacker didn't deserve to be punished. The man with the gun was talking into his radio, with the occasional glare thrown at her. When another man, this one dressed in the same SWAT-like uniform as the first, came and pointed a gun at her, the first one lowered his weapon and put Kay in handcuffs.

Kay had never been caught before. _Strange,_ Kay thought, _I don't feel like my life is ruined._ Perhaps it was because she didn't have much of a life to loose. Still, shouldn't she be panicked? Curious, she did a mental checklist. Heart racing? No. Stomach churning? Nope. Shaking? No. She was steady on her feet as she was dragged into a large front room.

With security guards on both sides, Kay was held in front of a tall man who was appraising her. He had dark hair that was greying on the sides, a similar-colored mustache, and square-framed glasses. He stood with the confidence of a one who was used to being in charge.

The man glared at her with sharp grey eyes. "Bitten off more than you can chew, my dear? My security team is the best in the world; surely you know that. Breaking into _my_ house. The nerve. You must be American."

Kay rolled her eyes. This guy was a pompous asshole. So what if it was true? She wasn't saying anything until she had a lawyer.

"Here are your options", he continued, oblivious to her disdain, "We shall press charges; you shall be arrested and sent to prison for as many years as we see fit, considering that we can afford the best lawyers in the country."

He paused a moment to allow the threat to sink into Kay's head. It did. Finally. That numb feeling from before slowly faded as the visions flashed through her mind. She would never go back home. All the planning and working she'd done over the last five years was completely wasted. She would have nothing in her life but the exact same routine. In the exact same building. Year after year. Needles prickled from the top of her spine down to her toes. She didn't like this future.

"Or," he said, giving a nasty smirk at seeing her squirm, "You can live with me and my family for thirty days."

"What?" Kay's eyes snapped up and narrowed. She must have heard him wrong. What kind of weirdo was this guy? Only an idiot would open their expensive home to a thief after she tried to rob them.

"The conditions are this," he began, "You cannot steal from us. You must obey us, to a fair extent, that is. I can definitely use someone of your...profession at my company. In return, I shall allow you to live here, in this mansion for thirty days. You will eat with us, go to school with my children, and share in our good fortune. If you decide to leave afterwards, we will allow you. If you stay, well, you can continue to work for me. "

"Why would you do this for me?" Kay asked.

"It would be quite advantageous to have you in my employ. You are very skilled, aren't you Kat?"

Kay paled.

"Just what I thought," the man said. "Now, how about you go to a guest bedroom and rest? We can work out the details in the morning. I'll have a lawyer here by then."


	3. Chapter 3

Note to readers: I swore i put this disclaimer in here, but someone pointed this out (thank you!) I don't own Harley Quinn, or Batman, but my friend insisted the character she was based on be named Harley.

* * *

Kay was led up to a guest bedroom on the same floor as the demon-guy. The team took off her handcuffs and left her in the room. After they were gone, she checked the door. Sure enough, locked. Kay sat on the bed, too hyped on adrenaline to sleep, and thought.

Kat. She hadn't been called that in years. She'd earned the nickname in America. Kay had been a professional thief there since she was little. She worked with her father until he died. She was twelve when that happened. She couldn't remember much; she guessed she suppressed it. Occasionally she would wake up shaking from horrible nightmares, her father's voice echoing in her ears. However the visions of the dream vanished within seconds, and she was left wondering what could have scared her so.

When he died, she took the money that they'd saved up and bought herself a brand-new identity before moving to Japan for a fresh start. Her dad had some hacker friends that helped her. She was determined to leave thieving behind. Unfortunately, one of the hackers, a man named Alexander, owed a steep gambling debt to the mafia, and begged her to take up her old ways one last time.

Kay didn't want to get involved but she felt she owed him. This was going to be it. She must've been rusty; she hadn't been thieving in years. Now she was caught. She was still in shock at what the man offered her. Who were these people? _Am I a prisoner?_ The thought suddenly popped into her head and made her nervous. It was better than jail, but it was still creepy.

Pushing away anxious thoughts that were beginning to crowd her brain, Kay observed her surroundings. A picture window, plush carpet, a navy-blue desk and dresser set, and a large bed with a matching navy comforter. The walls were painted cream. Everything about the room was eerily impersonal. Not shocking, considering no one had likely ever lived in it. She would fix that in time.

Kay pulled her phone out of the holster on her side, and turned it on. It wasn't wise to bring it on her 'mission', but her best friend had been a bit insistent (a bit=scary). After a few seconds of warming up, her phone suddenly went nuts, emitting tones for voice-messages, phone calls, and texts, all at once. When it finally emitted its last little choked noise, Kay picked it up from where she dropped it on the floor, and scrolled through the texts.

All from Harley, just as she suspected. Twenty-seven messages to be exact, as well as several aborted call attempts. Rolling her eyes, Kay dialed the number. Harl picked up on the first ring.

"RED?!"She shrieked into the phone, "ARE YOU ALIVE?! You're being held against your will aren't you? Tell me where you are! Wait, say 'pickles' if you have a gun pressed to your head, okay?"

Kay held her phone an inch away from her ear, and waited.

"Buddy?" Harley squeaked, "Can you speak?"

"Are you finished?" Kay asked.

"You're alive!" Harley rejoiced a mere second before, "What the hell is wrong with you?! I told you to call me as soon as you were done with the mission!"

"I got caught-"

"WHAT?!"

"Let me finish!" Kay said, and waited a beat for Harley to calm down, "I'll explain it to you tomorrow, alright? I'll see you after school, at the apartment. I won't be at your school tomorrow."

"Which will you be at?" Harley asked suspiciously.

Kay rolled her eyes, "Whichever one the Ohtori's send their kids to."

"Hmmm…"Harley said.

"Harley," Kay said, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing," she answered.

"You know that when you lie, your voice goes up."

Harley remained silent in response; truly a feat for her.

"Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Just stay calm until then. I know you can do it," Kay said.

"Goodnight, Red!" Harley said cheerily, before clicking off her phone.

Kay usually had to end the conversations, so she knew something was up. Still, Harley could usually take care of herself just fine, so Kay wasn't worried.

With a sigh, Kay placed her phone on her bedside table and took a shower. It took longer than expected to rinse the dark chalk out of her fiery red hair, but eventually the water stopped running black, and she turned it off. She re-dressed into a pair of sweats she found in one of the drawers of the dresser. With the adrenaline finally leaving her system, and some rich-person fantasy school in the morning, Kay collapsed onto the overstuffed mattress and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Kay was taken by a security team down to the giant dining room table she had seen last night. Now it was being used by three men and a young woman. The woman looked up at her and smiled. Kay smiled awkwardly back. Did she not know who Kay was? Had the older man (her father) not told her? Along with the older man himself and someone who was undoubtedly his lawyer, there was also a young man. The young one looked about her age; maybe 17, maybe older. He had a stern face like his father. He didn't look as friendly as his sister. He was also very handsome. Kay blushed and looked at the floor. The last thing she needed right now was a stupid crush. The father looked up and smiled coldly, then gestured to the table.

"Pick somewhere to sit, my dear," He said, "We just need to have you sign some papers and then we will be finished."

Kay picked a place by the smiling young woman. She gave Kay an encouraging nod in greeting before continuing with her cereal.

The lawyer placed the papers and a pen in front of Kay. She knew she didn't have a choice; it was this or prison. Still, she felt uncomfortable just signing her soul away. "May I read them?" She asked politely.

"Certainly," Said the lawyer, a sleazy looking man with crooked teeth and blonde hair. "There's a copy in your room."

Kay rolled her eyes, and signed the papers quickly. The lawyer took them, thanked man at the head of the table, and walked out.

"Now for introductions," said the man, "I am Ohtori. Simply refer to me by that name, if you please," he said, "This is my daughter,Fuyumi, and my son, Kyoya. Kyoya,Fuyumi, this is the thief I told you about."

So they knew. Kyoya must have been the demon-guy that was woken last night by the incompetents.

Fuyumi continued her perpetual smile, but Kyoya didn't seem to be paying attention. Ootori continued: "You shall be attending school with my son, who shall keep an eye on you while you're there. Speaking of which," Ootori checked his watch, "You two should get going. There's a uniform in your closet, Katherine."

Kay got up and headed back upstairs. She found a copy of her contract, a messenger bag filled with books and notebooks, and a disgusting yellow dress. Kay changed into the yellow dress and decided immediately she needed someone to fix it. Not now though; would ask Harley about it later. She stuffed her contract into the messenger bag and opened the door to her room, only to find Kyoya glaring at her.

"Shall we go?" he asked, and she followed him down the stairs and out to the waiting limo. Kay had never ridden in a limo, but she found it annoyingly like any other car. Why waste so much money?! Kyoya couldn't be less interested in her. He stared at his tablet the whole ride to the school. Not that Kay minded. She took out her contract and began to read.

By the time they got to school, Kay had a pretty good idea what she signed up for.

No running; if she tried to leave without permission, Ootori would have her arrested. Except when sleeping, either a member of the ootori family or a security team member had to accompany her everywhere. She was in all of Kyoya's classes, and expected to at least try (she only had to pass, not ace it). She was to be with Kyoya (except in bathrooms) until they came back to the mansion in the afternoon.

_Poor Kyoya_, Kay thought, as they walked to the front of the giant castle that was called Ouran Academy.

Kay became Kyoya's silent shadow as he made his way past the gaggles of giggling girls and into the first building. Kyoya entered a room, sat in the first row of desks, and pulled out his tablet again. Kay stood awkwardly near him as he began to tap and scroll. After a minute, he finally looked up at her and straightened his glasses, seeming to just remember she was there. "You'll want to pay attention in all the classes," he said, "I'm in all honors and you're expected to pass." And without another word, Kyoya's attention was again focused on his precious tablet.

Kay sat in a chair by the window, also in the front row, and tried to become as invisible as possible.

After several hours of lectures, lots of notes, and an awkward lunch period involving loud headphones and a book, Kay found herself sitting a music room, wondering why she and Kyoya weren't heading back to the Ootori mansion to begin the mountain of homework assigned.

Kyoya had his eyes glued to his tablet yet again, and there were several other people in the room, shuffling awkwardly and waiting for introductions that were not forthcoming. There were a red-headed pair of twins that kept staring at her, a very short boy who was eating cake at table, and a very tall boy who hadn't left the side of the short one since they walked in the room.

Kay had almost had enough of the heavy air and was about to try and break the silence when a blonde-haired, blue-eyed stereotype flounced into the room and did it for her.

"We are just meeting today, right? I'm not really prepared-"when the man saw Kay, he literally stopped in his tracks and looked at her dumfounded for a good couple of seconds before producing a rose from nowhere and presenting it to Kay with a gentlemanly bow and the words, "What lovely circumstances have blessed us with such a beautiful guest here today?"

Kay raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kyoya, silently begging him to save her. Kyoya, for his part, was finally putting his tablet away. "I had hoped to wait for Haruhi and make only one introduction to everyone, but seeing as she is running late, I'll do it now. Everyone, this is Katherine. Katherine, the man bowing so pathetically before you is Tamaki." (Tamaki fell on his face from his bow, at this point), "The twins are Hikaru and Kaoru. Don't bother trying to discern them; no one can. Haninozuka is eating cake at the table and Mori is standing next to him."

Kay gave an awkward wave to the general room, which was returned only by Haninozuka. Hikaru and Kaoru suddenly were in Kay's face and scrutinizing her even further. Without moving they asked in unison, "How do you know her Kyoya? She doesn't look like family."

"Katherine tried to rob my house last night, and actually nearly made it. My father wants her to work for us, so she is staying with my family for a few weeks."

Kay wasn't sure what Kyoya was going to say, but she wasn't expecting that. Tamaki popped up from the ground and back into Kay's face, "A sick father who needed money for an operation?" He asked eagerly, "Or a challenge from an archenemy? Or perhaps a treasure hunt for something dangerous and beautiful?"

Kay looked at Tamaki for a moment, then glanced around. Everyone (including Kyoya) was watching her avidly, waiting hopefully for an excuse that would justify her; make her a little less trashy and a little nobler in their eyes. Kay was hit with the momentary urge to make up an exquisite story for her listeners; something with puppies and Christmas gifts and orphans involved. But the lie she chose to tell was much less romantic and much tidier.

"I'm just a selfish bitch," she said with a shrug, before turning her back to them all, picking an empty table, and pulling out her ear buds and homework.


	5. Chapter 5

A note to readers: I know Kay needs to go get clothes and things from where she used to live. I didn't forget, it'll be in the next chapter.

* * *

Kay was interrupted about an hour later when she noticed Kyoya staring at something out of the corner of her eye. When she looked up, she saw a violet-haired young lady posing in the doorway of the music room. She was standing with her arms crossed, her hip cocked to the side, and an eyebrow raised, as Tamaki stood in front of her gesturing extravagantly (no doubt employing another charming introduction).

Harley had managed to find her after all.

Kay was pulling the ear-buds out when Tamaki apparently said something particularly offensive because Harley chose that moment to roll her eyes, and in doing so, she spotted Kay.

It was rather funny to watch the blonde "King" of the host club get shoved out of the way like a door. It was even funnier to watch the shock soak into his face.

"Red!" Harley shrieked, running forward and throwing her arms around Kay. "I knew I'd find you! So! Details! What happened that you couldn't discuss over the phone? How did you get caught? Wait!" She held up a hand, as if she had to silence the patiently waiting Kay, "First things first; let's get you out of that _heinous_ uniform."

And with that, Harley pulled Kay into a standing position, turned her around by her shoulders, and shoved her into a dressing room that almost appeared out of nowhere. She took an outfit from her messenger bag, threw the cloth at Kay, and pushed her into a room, closing the curtain behind her. When Kay saw what it was, she groaned, but put it on (anything was better than the disgusting yellow dress) and walked out to glare at Harley, who was beaming a safe ten feet away.

"Was this really necessary?" she hissed, gesturing to the black-and-purple polka-dot mini-dress she was now wearing.

"Come on!" Harl said, "You look cute, and besides you bought it. I'm just helping you get some use out of it."

Kay chose not to point out that Harl had threatened her with a curling iron if she didn't buy the dress, instead asked, "How did you get in?"

"Oh! A little black birdy told me how." Harley winked, "I'll tell ya later."

'Black birdy' was Harley's not-so-secret codename for black-mail. On top of being Kay's (previous) roommate, her best friend, and an amateur beautician, Harley was the queen of black-mail. Her mother made a healthy living out of it, and Harley had picked up a few skills before she moved out.

"Well…?" Harley asked, presenting the whole room with a sweeping motion. "Are ya gonna introduce me?"

"Are you here to stay?" Kay asked.

"Oh, yes! And, on top of tuition for the year, the black birdy also gave me an out-of-uniform pass," she gestured to her blue-jeans and boots. "All year! I'll get you one too, buddy. Now, people of the large room," she spun on her heel, suddenly addressing all the boys assembled, "I urge you to accept me as your leader! I am Harley!" Harley made a sweeping bow in conclusion.

Tamaki seemed to be shocked to meet two women immune to him on the same day. Haninozuka greeted them both warmly and shook their hands. Mori stood behind him, silent as ever. The twins ignored Kay and walked around Harley, examining them as they might a bug under a magnifying glass.

"What do you think?" Kaoru asked.

"I don't know." Hikaru replied, "Might be some fun…"

Harley placed her hands on her hips and looked them both up and down. "Yep," she said, "You'll do. Do you two by any chance have some silly string?"

"No," they answered in unison.

"Oh, good!" she said, whipping a can out of her messenger bag, "Then I'm the only one armed!"

Instead of backing up, or giving her strange looks, or even ignoring her, the twins did the last thing Kay expected: they hugged her on either side and shouted, "Hooray for the new toy!"

Kay could swore she heard Kyoya say, "Great; they're multiplying," under his breath before saying to Kay, "We should head back to the house; it's getting late."

He spun around and left without waiting for Kay to catch up.

Kay glanced back at Harley, but she was being showered with attention from the twins. She would likely remember and call Kay at one in the morning to beg for a conversation.

When they got to the car, Kyoya stared at Kay for a long portion of the trip. Kay finally got annoyed and asked, "What?"

"The young men you met today were the members of the Ouran High School Host Club. The contract's boundaries extend to them. You are not to steal from any of them either."

"Alright," Kay said, "But just so you know, you were a special case. I don't do that anymore."

"Right," he said, obviously skeptic. He reached for his tablet again, but Kay wasn't finished.

"Look, I know you don't like me, but since we're going to spend so much time together, can we at least be polite?"

Kyoya froze before asking in a dangerously low voice, "Have I been impolite to you at all?"

"No, it's just awkward-"

"No," Kyoya interrupted her, "You broke into _my _house. And you're asking _me_ to be polite? I won't insult you, I won't bother you, and I won't steal from you. I ask that you do the same in return. When the month is over, and we no longer bear the burden of each other's company, we will go back to our lives and likely not see each other again."

Kay sat back and crossed her arms. He had a point. Kyoya, for his part, brought out his tablet, and began his hours of ignoring her.

* * *

That night, Kay finally pushed her mountain of homework assigned, and glanced at the clock in the 'study'. The room looked more like an ultra-modern library, with four tall walls covered in books, two levels, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

It was 10:00p.m. _Time for bed, _Kay thought, yawning. She glanced around. Kyoya was still working on his laptop, occasionally rubbing his eyes under his glasses. He looked really tired, and Kay wondered how often he slept.

"Hey," she asked him, "Can I go make some mint tea in the kitchen?"

Kyoya paused, "I don't know. Can you?"

Kay rolled her eyes, "Do you need to go with me?"

"I think you can handle it on your own," Kyoya answered, returning his attention to his screen.

The servants left at around 6, so the house was almost empty. Kay made her way quickly down the dark hall and to the kitchen, where she found a tea kettle and a whole cupboard of tea. She located the mint without too much trouble and brought the water to a boil.

Next to the mint was some green tea. The box was almost empty. Kyoya was the only one Kay had seen drinking tea (everyone else usually had coffee). She guessed he liked this. Deciding to extend an olive branch, Kay made a cup of mint for herself and a cup of green for Kyoya. On her way to her room she stopped in the study, silently placed the mug in front of him, and left. He may not have wanted it, but at least she tried.

The next morning, Kyoya waited for her by the front door, instead of heading straight out without her.

It was only a small gesture, but Kay was grateful.


	6. Chapter 6

A note to readers: Sorry: this is getting a lot longer than expected.

* * *

Right after morning classes, Kay told Kyoya she needed to go to the apartment she shared with Harley for her stuff.

"Fine," he said simply, "I'll have the chauffer stop by after school. Alright?"

Kay nodded, and then strode quickly to keep up with him on the way to the cafeteria. Every day she ate lunch with Harley, who ate lunch with the twins, who ate lunch with the Host Club. So every day, they had the most crowded table at lunch.

While Harls was chatting with Haruhi, (who turned out to be a sweet girl pretending to be a boy), a boy with light brown hair and freckles came over to their table and introduced himself as Ryan.

Kay scrutinized him. Why did he seem familiar? Ryan misinterpreted her look,blushed and stuttered, "I-I'm a foreign exchange student from America. I just thought…N-never mind."

He turned to leave, but Kay grabbed his jacket. "Don't be silly," she said, giving him a sweet smile, "Would you like to join us?"

Ryan gave a grateful smile and sat opposite Kay. Lunch was spent with Kay pelting Ryan with questions about America and if anything had changed. They spoke in English, and Kay skillfully dodged questions about her past and family. Ryan was quick-witted, and when he realized she didn't want to talk about her personal life, he jumped from topic to topic easily, making her smile.

Kay wasn't flirting on purpose, of course. She had seen the looks Ryan shot to Koaru while they were talking. She thought it was very obvious.

After lunch, Ryan left for a computer class, and Kay asked Harley if she recognized Ryan. Harley looked at her like she was an idiot. "That's Ryan Elby."

Kay's eyes widened. Ryan Elby was the hacker that made the device for her to hack the Ootori's safe. For the first time she realized she'd never seen him in person. Harley introduced them over a chat room; they'd had countless phone calls and emails, but Kay assumed he was a super-nerd who never left his house.

"Why's he here?" she hissed, when the shock wore off.

Harley shrugged, "I told him you got caught and covered for him. He probably wanted to see how you were doing. He is our friend, after all." Harley raised her eyebrows, a gesture she did when Kay missed something socially obvious, and Kay needed to figure out what it was.

Kay took a second to think, and blushed as she realized he made it all the way to Ouran to find her, only not to be recognized.

"I owe him an apology," Kay muttered.

"Big time," Harley agreed.

After school, Kay directed the chauffeur to the apartment she shared with Harley. They lived on the basement floor of the complex, and Kay had just raised her hand to knock when Harley whipped open the door with a slice of pizza in her hand and said, "Hi Red!" She ignored Kyoya.

Kay slipped past her and headed to her room. She opened the door to find her dog, Artemis, lazing on her bed. "What are you doing in here, baby?" she asked, giving her dog a hug around the neck. Artemis licked Kay's ear. Kay sighed; she was going to miss her dog more than Harley (at least she saw Harley at school).

Kay stood up, patted Artemis on the head, and began to gather clothes. It was October so she would need jeans, sweaters, t-shirts…before she knew it, Kay had a huge pile collected on her bed, and Artemis was missing. She shoved her clothes into a duffel bag, scribbled out an apology letter to Alexander, collected toiletries from her bathroom, as well as her sleep medication, and found Harley in the front room holding a game controller (still ignoring Kyoya) and Artemis by the door, investigating Kyoya.

To Kay's shock, Kyoya gave the smallest of possible smiles, leaned down to the German shepherd, and scratched her under the chin. Artemis's tail wagged and Kay could see her fighting the urge to jump on him.

"Let's go!" Kay said, before Artemis could get a paw print on his immaculate uniform.

"Wait!" Harley said, jumping up and pausing her game, "You're just gonna leave?" She tried to give puppy eyes, but Kay was immune, and Kyoya was bored.

"We have things to do," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "As I understand it, you are going to the pool with the Host Club this tomorrow. You two can catch up then."

With that, he slipped out the door. Kay paused to give Harley the letter and gave Artemis one last hug. Harley raised an eyebrow and Kay said, "Mail that for me," before running out the door after him.

Kyoya was cold in the limo ride again, and racked her brain, trying to think what she could possibly have done to piss him off.

"Beautiful weather," Kay tried, giving Kyoya a half-smile.

"Hmm," Was the only response she got.

Kay's shoulder's sagged, and she gave up. Why bother trying? Maybe he was just moody.

Kyoya noticed Kay's sudden mood change, and remembered he was supposed to be courteous. "Very nice," he tried, "though I think we may have rain later."

This caused Kay's face to brighten for reasons Kyoya couldn't fathom, and they spent the rest of the ride in peaceful silence.

Kyoya and Kay worked in the library again until ten that night. It was Friday, but tomorrow the host club went to Kyoya's family's pool in the morning, so she couldn't sleep in. Still… Kay sent a glare at the mountain of calc homework and pulled it over. Math had always been her weakest subject, but she excelled in science, so she needed math to move forward in her classes. She wanted to do some sort of engineering in college, but she couldn't see that happening if she couldn't pass high-school calculus.

Ten minutes later, when the numbers began to blend together, Kay laid her forehead on her book and thought bitterly, _thieving paid pretty well…_

"Having problems?" Kyoya asked.

Kay looked up, "I'm not very good at math."

"What do you need help with?" Kyoya asked.

_Why do you care?_ Kay thought. Out loud she said, "All of it. It's kind of gibberish to me."

"Let me see if I can help," Kyoya said, and pulled her book towards him.

Kyoya explained the concept incredibly well. He also had amazing patience. (A requirement for friendship with Tamaki, Kay was sure.) Kay finished her homework in record time and needed very little help on the problems.

"Thank you," Kay said suspiciously; Kay didn't know Kyoya very well, but if he was anything like his father, he would expect something in return.

"You're welcome," Kyoya said politely, "If you need tutoring, I'm happy to help any time."

"I don't want to take up your time," Kay said.

"It's no problem," he shrugged, "I do have one favor to ask, however."

Kay braced herself. Now what was it?

"I am not an… early riser. We need to be at the pool on time tomorrow and most of the maids have given up trying to wake me. I was hoping you would give it a try."

"You…want me to be your alarm clock?" Kay asked.

Kyoya frowned, "If you don't want-"

"No, no," Kay said quickly, "I don't mind." She used to wake Harley up all the time. How difficult could it be?

Very. Very difficult.


	7. Chapter 7

A note to readers: I don't own Alice in Wonderland.

* * *

The rain came as promised, and thanks to the soothing rhythm on her windows Kay didn't need her medication, and made it through the whole night without incident. The next morning, Kay woke up comfortably in her own clothes to a 7:00 alarm on her cell phone. They had to be to the pool by 8:00. She got up, dressed, threw her swimsuit and sunscreen in a bag, and walked out into the hallway to begin her half of the deal.

She made her way to Kyoya's door just in time to see a maid run out of Kyoya's room in tears. _No doubt the last of them,_ Kay thought.

Kyoya's room looked much the same as it had in the day. There were windows, a plain wood floor, a bed, a bookcase, and a nightstand. Kyoya was surrounded by a purple cloud of evil in his bed, and glaring at her with one onyx eye.

"Morning sunshine," Kay said cheerily.

Kyoya turned over to face the windows.

_Hmmm…_Kay thought. Harley was easily bribed with food, which she doubted would work with Kyoya. "Pancakes?" she tried. Kyoya didn't bother to move.

It was hard to threaten Harley; Kay had once pushed her out of bed, and she proceeded to sleep on the floor.

Kay poked Kyoya in the shoulder. He was heavier than he looked. Empty threats would be thrown back at her, and she knew it.

Light obviously didn't wake him up; the maid flicked on his lamp and he was still asleep. He was too heavy to try to roll out of the bed. Caffeine? Doubtful. Kay was wondering if she should go find smelling salts when she spotted his cell phone on the bedside table.

Kay snatched it up and scrolled through the contacts. When she found Tamaki's number she had just enough time to memorize it before Kyoya was suddenly right in her face, grabbing the cell phone away and growling, "Not. Funny."

Kay tried not to grin. It would be very funny in a moment. Kyoya eyed her suspiciously, but eventually gave up, collapsing back into bed with his cell phone in hand. Kay took her own out of her pocket and added Tamaki to her contacts before she forgot the number. She then typed up a text, sent it, and placed her hands behind her back in her best innocent pose.

Kyoya was glaring at her from his bed. "What did you do?"

Kay allowed her grin to show. "I just told Tamaki that you had a deadly disease, and it was causing you to hallucinate. He won't believe any text you send him trying to correct me. He should be here soon to wish you the best of luck in death. "

Kyoya sat upright in bed, "You wouldn't dare."

Kay went to her 'sent' text box and showed him the message.

Less than ten minutes later, Kay was running to keep up with Kyoya as he stormed to the car.

Kyoya glared at Kay the entire trip, but all she could do was beam. She'd done her job, and she'd done well.

When they showed up at the 'pool' (more like a tropical island simulator), everyone looked completely surprised.

"You're alive!" Tamaki cried, throwing his arms around Kyoya, "It's so kind of you to leave your sick-bed for your friends. You shouldn't have."

"Get off me you idiot," Kyoya growled, shoving him off.

"He's hallucinating! Oh, no!" Tamaki said, "My dear friend!"

Kay laughed and finally stepped in to save Kyoya from his overly dramatic best friend. "I lied Tamaki. Kyoya's fine. I just had to give him incentive to get out of bed."

Kay felt ice running up her back, and turned to find Kyoya glaring at them. "Aren't we here to swim?" he asked.

Kay found Harley by the changing rooms, grinning like a cat. "What did you do?" Kay asked.

"Get changed buddy!" Harley said simply, before making a running jump into the pool.

Kay looked in her bag, and found her swimsuit was replaced by a bikini top and swim trunks. Kay shot Harley a glare, but she only waved and dove back under water.

Kay changed, crossed her arms self-consciously over her chest, and ventured out to find Harley. When Harls popped up alongside her in the pool, Kay only glared.

"Aw come'on Red!" she said, "Ya' look fine, and Kyo won't be able to take his eyes off ya'." Kay blushed, and with that, Harley spun around in the water and waved her arm at the boys, "Yoo-hoo!" she called. Kay was suddenly on her knees at the end of the pool, dunking Harl's head under the water. Harley popped back up and grabbed Kay's arm, pulling her in head-first. Kay popped up a second later, laughing too hard to breath.

For the next few hours, Kay practiced the breast-stroke Harley showed her in the shallow end, while the boys stayed by the wave-pool and chatted. Haruhi was happily reading a book under one of the umbrella-chairs.

At almost noon, Harley got out to check her cell, and Kay followed her to get some water. On her way back from the fountain, Kay spotted the twins walking towards her. Kay raised her hand to waive, but the twins gave matching devious smiles. Without a word, they took places on either side of her, placed a hand on either shoulder, and shoved Kay into the deep end.

Kay swallowed the water in her mouth without thinking, and pool-water rushed into her ears and nose. She choked, releasing bubbles and sucking in more burning water. Kay flailed frantically, but all the strokes Harley taught her vanished in her panic and lack of oxygen.

When Kay's lungs began to feel as if they would collapse, something strong wrapped around her waist and pulled her to the surface. Kay sucked in air the sucked in air the second her head broke the water, and her lungs rejected it immediately, desperately trying to dispel the water in them. Kay kept her eyes closed to keep them from burning with chlorine, and desperately tried to stay afloat. A warm hand guided hers to the edge of the pool, and she climbed out and wiped her eyes before stumbling frantically to the bathroom to choke up more water.

Harley ran in behind her and kept a hand on her shoulder as she spit the last of it into the sink. "I'm so sorry, buddy!" she said, "Those two are idiots!"

"It was an accident," Kay said, "Thanks for pulling me up though."

Harley gave her a funny look, "I was on the other side of the pool. I wouldn't have made it in time anyway. Kyoya got you out."

Kay looked at Harley and said, "What?"

Harley backed up. "Hey, don't give me that demonic glare! It's not my fault that Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dim pushed you in the water!"

Kay lowered her head. How on earth could she face Kyoya now? She must've looked like an idiot.

Harley wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and led her outside with her head held high.

The twins were right outside the bathroom. They both looked pretty ashamed. Kay gave them both smiles and was about to say she was fine when Harley stepped forward and cuffed them both on the back of the head. "She can't swim you morons! Why do you think she was practicing in the shallow end after I showed her how to breast stroke? For fun?! Why I have half a mind to-!"

Kay backed away as the twins received a tongue lashing from Harley about the different ways she was going to torture them. Kay pulled a towel from a nearby rack and wrapped it around her shoulders, then made her way over to her chair, and sat. She was suddenly very tired.

"I believe it's time to head home," Kyoya said from behind her, startling her. His trunks and t-shirt were soaked, and he had a towel draped around his shoulders as well. Kay nodded silently and followed him out the door to the limo. Kay glanced back at the group, but Kyoya said, "They can spend as much time there as they like. It'll be open to the public next week.

Kay slid into the car wordlessly and sat in silence most of the trip. When the house came into view, she glanced up to find Kyoya watching her. Had he been staring at her this whole time?

Kay pushed the thought away and said instead, "Thank you for-"

Kyoya shook his head and waved her off. Kay was relieved. She couldn't imagine what a life-debt to Kyoya would mean.


	8. Chapter 8

A note to readers: Apologies for any errors. I've been busy, and so has my beta-reader.

* * *

Kay had security testing with 's company from eight until five every Sunday. She got back to the mansion around five-thirty, and Harley called to let her know that they had dinner plans.

"So," Harley asked, settling back in her booth, "What's it like to work for Mr. Ootori?"

Kay took a sip of her raspberry tea and shrugged. Harley had dragged Kay, Fuyumi, Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru and Ryan out to a mall for dinner in the food court. "I didn't really do much. I broke into a couple safes and practiced disappearing from body-guards in training."

Harley nodded, "I had a job as a cashier once. Then I got bored."

Kay grinned. Harley's main source of income was the blackmail business, but she had a part-time job as a 'consultant' (whatever that meant). Her mother set her up with the position, and although she refused to talk about it, she seemed content.

"So how did you two meet?" Haruhi asked.

Kay settled back to let Harley tell this story. It was one she loved.

"Little Miss Socially-Awkward here," Harley jabbed a thumb in Kay's direction, "just moved to Japan and went to the same school as me. At lunch, this random guy's wallet got stolen and he started yelling at the first person he saw: the shy little redhead who wouldn't yell back. Naturally I stormed up and told the guy that he'd back off or I'd tell the whole school about his 'after school activities'."

Harley winked, but Kay cut in, "She actually dragged me away to the bathroom in the middle of the argument and called the principle to tell him the kid was dealing drugs."

Harley raised her hands, "Turns out I wasn't wrong! Anyway, Kay reaches into her pocket, pulls out the guy's wallet, and asks me if I want it. When I asked her why she stole it, she said she thought she was out of practice! Five years later," Harley threw an arm around Kay and grinned, "Still the best of buddies."

The rich kids (and Haruhi) looked shocked, but Ryan laughed and said, "I'm glad you two could bond over illegal activities."

After dinner, they separated into groups to explore. Kiara tugged (a very willing) Hikaru to the movies, followed by Ryan and Kaoru. Fuyumi, Haruhi, and Kay went shopping.

Fuyumi and Haruhi did most of the talking, but Kay was included in the conversation. Fuyumi was visiting her family for a few weeks before she returned to her husband, who she was very happy with. Haruhi was at Ouran on a scholarship, and lived with her father. "What about you?" Fuyumi asked, turning to Kay, who had been politely silent during the family conversation. "What's your family like?"

Kay said, "I have a dog named Artemis and I live with Harley. I don't really have any other family."

Haruhi nodded in understanding, but Fuyumi persisted, "Surely you have someone?"

Kay smiled sadly at the floor, "My father died when I was twelve. I loved him dearly, but I moved to Japan so I wouldn't be thrown in an orphanage."

Fuyumi opened her mouth, no doubt to express some words of how sorry she was, but Kay didn't want to hear it. She didn't need sympathy; she'd moved on. Kay pointed to the next store they passed, and asked, "Aren't we here to shop?"

Two hours later, Harley, Ryan, and the twins found the girls in the same store they started in. "Come out!" Fuyumi called into the changing rooms.

Kay took a couple steps out of the dressing room, and then tried to run back in. She'd agreed to try on the shirt that Fuyumi picked out for her; she didn't agree to model it in front of the guys. Fuyumi grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face Harley.

"Tell her she has to buy it!" Fuyumi squealed.

Harley shrugged and nodded approvingly, "You look pretty good, Red."

Kay blushed. The shirt was dark sapphire blue, and the scoop-neck was a lot lower than she was used to. There were black flames stitched delicately up one side, and the sleeves were three-quarter length: perfect for the fall weather.

Fuyumi unlatched her hands from Kay's shoulders and whispered something in Harley's ear. Harls grinned deviously and said, "Buy it. And wear it. Or so help me, I will turn your room into a hair salon."

Kay groaned, and went back to the fitting rooms. She glanced in the mirror quickly before she changed. Her blue eyes had a tendency to change shades based on her mood and what she was wearing. They'd darkened with the shirt, not quite _as_ dark, but enough to be noticeable.

Kay purchased the shirt, and everyone decided it was getting late. On the way out to the cars, Kay tugged Harley to the side and hissed, "What did Fuyumi tell you?"

Harley grinned again. "Wear that," she pointed to the bag in Kay's hand, "when we all go hiking Thursday, and I'll tell you."

Kay rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. It was going to be a long week.

"What is the definition if integration?"Kyoya asked.

"The area under a curve," Kay replied for the zillionth time, sliding her head into her hands. It was how he began every problem.

Kay had a calc exam in tomorrow, and Kyoya would not let her forget it. He excused himself from club activities, and had barely given her time to breath between study sessions and practice problems for the last two days.

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you," Kyoya sounded colder than usual.

Kay gave Kyoya a once-over. His shoulders where hunched and he was blinking more rapidly than usual. The poor guy was exhausted; he'd given up as much time for this as she had. Kay glanced at her watch. "Kyoya, its ten o'clock at night. If I haven't learned the material by now, it's not going to happen overnight. Let's just both get some sleep."

Kay gave him a pleading look, and he reluctantly nodded his approval. Kay went to her room, took her sleep medication, changed into sleep-clothes and slid under her comforter. She was out within minutes.

The sleep medication kept the nightmare away, but it left her groggy and dead when she woke up. Kay stumbled into school clothes the next morning, and tripped down the plush carpeted stairs. Her leaden legs carried her to the kitchen to make some caffeinated tea.

She was reaching up to the cupboard when she noticed a steaming cup of black tea right next to the stove. Curious, she picked it up and wandered to the dining room. Kyoya was typing on his laptop and sipping from a mug next to him. He glanced up at her as she stared.

"That's yours," he said simply, motioning to her mug. Kay nodded, took a seat across from him, and drank her tea.

On the way to school, Kay was silent. All she could do was worry. She was exhausted. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and sleep the whole day. The tea that morning managed to wake her up a bit, but she was still out of it. She tried to pay attention in the first class, but her mind just kept snagging back to the calc exam. If she failed, she wouldn't pass, and that meant that she would be kicked out of Ouran, which meant she would go to jail.

By the end of class, Kay was a bundle of nerves. She just kept seeing the life she loved, being taken away, all over a stupid calc exam. Just before she entered the room, however, Kyoya pulled her to the side and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to do fine," he said.

Kay stared up at him, confused. She waited for more, but all he did was give her shoulder an awkward pat and brush past her into the classroom. Kay took a deep breath, followed him, took her place in the seat next to his, and began her exam.

Kay was uncharacteristically silent during lunch, and barely heard a word in the other classes that day.

After school, Kay and Kyoya went straight home. Once through the door, Kyoya made a beeline for the study. Kay followed him drowsily (the caffeine wore off). Kyoya pulled out his laptop and Kay rested her head on the table. Maybe she didn't do that bad on the exam.

"Log in and check your grade," Kyoya said.

"Huh?" Kay asked.

"Log into the school's website. The teacher should have posted the grades by now."

Kay did as she was told and stared at the screen. That couldn't be right. There was no way…

The color drained from her face as she realized this was no error. It was correct. She got a B+. A B+!

Kay's face radiated pure joy as she jumped up from her seat and squealed, "YES!" She bounced on her toes a couple times before wrapping her arms around Kyoya's waist in a hug. "I got a B+," she giggled, "I'm going to pass!"

Kyoya stood awkward and stiff until she released him to call Harley. This was such wonderful news!

Kyoya watched with the tiniest hint of pride. Not that he would show it, of course.

"Harls! Guess what?!" Kay squealed.

Kay listened for a second, and her face fell. "What do you mean, 'not eating'? When was the last time she ate?"

"I don't know!" Harley whined, "She just keeps staring at the door and crying. I think she misses you!"

Kay's heart dropped in her chest.

Kyoya stepped forward, "What's wrong?"

"Harley said Artemis isn't eating," Kay replied. To Harley, she said, "Put me on speaker."

"But, why?" Harley asked. Her voice went up. Kay's eyes narrowed and she went from panicked to suspicious.

"Do it."

Harley put her on speaker.

"Artemis!" Kay said clearly into her phone. Artemis barked happily back, and there was the sound of running paws.

"Harley?" Kay said quietly.

There was a beat of silence, then "WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK?!"

Kay face-palmed. It wasn't Artemis who missed her, but Harley. "I understand that you're lonely," Kay said, "But I see you every day at school. My dog is off limits."

Harley began, "But she's _our _d_-_"

Kay hung up.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at Kay. "I don't know if you've noticed," Kay said, "But she's kind of like my version of Tamaki."


	9. Chapter 9

Note to readers: I'm sorry this is short. Something is going to take up my time in the next week, but then I'm going to try to finish this in the 2 weeks after. Let me know if this story starts seeming really abrupt.

* * *

Thursday after school, Kyoya and Kay went home and then to a park, meeting the host club for their 'hike', which was actually more like a picnic. Girls that the club was entertaining were sitting on blankets spread on the ground, and the boys were bringing around tea and chatting. Harley and Kay were at a picnic table set away from the rest of the club.

"So why did I have to wear this ridiculous shirt?" Kay asked.

"Dark blue is Kyoya's favorite color!" Harley squealed.

Kay raised an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"Aw, come on, buddy. What's your problem today?" Harley frowned.

"Nothing. I just wish you would stop pushing the whole 'Kay likes Kyoya' thing. He obviously isn't interested. In fact, I very much doubt he has any emotions."

Harley looked deep in thought, and then her eyes widened, "You're jealous!" she said, pointing a finger at Kay like she grew a second head.

"Of what?"

"Buddy," Harley began, "You haven't even looked at the club since we got here. It's because you can't stand to see Kyoya smiling and talking to other girls like that."

Kay opened her mouth, but Harley raised a hand, "Don't try to argue with me. Best friend of five years, remember?"

Kay glared. She had no idea why she was so angry, but Harley was really ticking her off. "I am not _jealous_," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh, really?" Harley looked skeptic, "Then at least _look_ at his majesty, the King of Nightmares."

Kay looked over at the Host club, and dug her nails into the picnic table. Kyoya was quoting something to a group of girls, making the one he seemed to be addressing swoon. Kyoya wasn't as into touching as Tamaki was (who was now holding up a girls face like he was going to kiss her), but he quoted romantic poems and talked about Japanese history. Usually the shy girls went for Kyoya. Kay could, of course, understand why. He was her favorite too.

Not that he'd ever know.

Harley regretted the dare she'd given her friend as she watched the look on Kay's face turn from angry, to sad, to accepting. Kay pulled out her phone and began texting, the look on her face quickly returning to mad as soon as she took her eyes from the club.

"Who you text'n?" Harley asked.

"I'm asking Kyoya if I can go for a walk with you. I'd hate to disturb him while he's with guests," Kay muttered.

Kyoya responded within seconds, and Kay nodded, "Let's go."

Kay was off and walking before Harley left the table.

Kay was silent most of the walk. Harley knew she was upset during these times, and just blathered on randomly at nothing in particular.

Kay and Harley continued on their circular trail around the park until Kay got a text from Kyoya : _Club leaving. Come back._

Kay led Harley back to the clearing where everyone was, and followed Kyoya silently to their car. Kay stared out the window the whole ride home, lost in thought.

Kyoya cleared his throat, and Kay glanced back at him. He made eye contact, and Kay asked, "What?"

Normally Kyoya would have left such matters as a moody teenage girl to someone else to deal with, but seeing as he'd be stuck with her until night-time, he tried to strike up a pleasant conversation. "Beautiful weather."

Kay shrugged, and glanced back out the car window. "Not really."

Kyoya remained quiet and tried to ignore Kay the whole ride home. When they got to the house, Kyoya and Kay did their homework and ate dinner in silence. When it was time for bed, they separated, same as every night.

Still, Kay was quiet. When she got to her room she cracked open a book and began to read. She wasn't in the mood to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Kyoya flirting with another rich girl, and it made her stomach churn.

At midnight, Kay finally put the book down, closed her eyes, and rubbed her palms against them. _He's not interested. He's not interested…._

Kay repeated the mantra over and over until finally she collapsed against her pillows and fell asleep. Without her medication.

Three hours later, Kay bolted upright in bed, panting.

She desperately tried to cling to the familiar dream, but it was dissipating like smoke. Something about a dark place. Dirt everywhere. The smell of rain. Buried alive?

No that wasn't right. Kay released the thoughts and tried to relax the tension in her shoulders. She glanced at the clock. Three a.m. Her heart was still pounding from the nightmare. She slid out of bed and went to the door. No point in being in here anymore. Besides…Kay sent a glance to her bed and shivered as the feel being buried alive returned. Kay snagged her book on the way out and quickly made her way to the study downstairs. She found a secluded corner on the second level, complete with a lamp and an armchair.

Kay settled down, flicked on the light, and started to read.

An hour later, Kay heard footsteps. She remained still and listened as old thieving instincts kicked in.

Kyoya was talking to someone quietly on the lower level. "Sir, now is not the best time. I have a few business deals I'm closing and a large…personal matter I'm attending to. Best time? November the ninth."

Kay's pulse picked up. That was the day after she was released from the contract. Was his large 'personal matter' her?

Kay made use of her sneaking skills and slowly made her way to the first floor landing. She sat in the shadows and watched as Kyoya finished his phone call at the desk they always used for tutoring.

"Of course, sir," Kyoya rubbed his face. He was still in the clothes he wore coming home from the park. Had he slept at all? "I look forward to it as well." He'd turned on his charmer voice, the one he used for the host club when he was always smiling. His face looked as indifferent as ever.

Kyoya turned off the cell phone, and Kay was shocked when he immediately turned to face her. This guy was _good._ No wonder she was caught that first night.

"You know, if you were caught spying during a war time, they'd likely execute you?" he asked. He was actually scowling.

Still, Kay pretended not to be nervous at an angry Kyoya, and rolled her eyes. "You know, if you were caught holding someone against their will you'd be thrown in jail? War time or not."

Kyoya didn't back down from his glare, so Kay didn't shy from it. She crossed her arms and met his eyes. She regretted it, however. Exhaustion finally caught up with her, and she was finding it hard to focus. The fact that Kyoya's onyx eyes were making her forget her train of thought was not helping.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Kyoya finally asked.

"Nightmare," Kay said simply. She hoped he wouldn't ask her to elaborate, "What about you?"

"Business," he said.

Kay nodded, and they remained silent. "Well," she said eventually, "I'm gonna get back to some reading so if you don't mind…" Kay stood, made a bow worthy of Tamaki, and began to go back to her chair.

"You should go to bed," Kyoya said suddenly, "We have school tomorrow."

"You're right," Kay said, nodding, "But I'm not sleepy," she bit back a yawn, "you should take your own advice though. You look like something the twins dragged in."

With that, Kay returned to her chair.


	10. Chapter 10

Note to readers: No Harley this chapter (my apologies). The friend I based Harley off read this chapter, and wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the day. I really hope I don't make _too _many people angry at me for this...

* * *

Kay was tired the on Friday, but she managed to make it through her classes. To Kyoya, she seemed to be acting normally again, so he didn't press what had been wrong with her yesterday. After school, Kyoya needed to go talk to Tamaki, and said he'd meet Kay in front of the main building. Kay (having declined Harley's offer of an out-of-uniform pass) changed into jeans and a V-neck tee-shirt in the bathroom before heading outside.

Kay sat atop a wall of the school garden, and reached for her bag, intending to begin her science homework. A shadow fell over her. She glanced up to find a young man staring at her. He had short, spikey blonde hair, and a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes.

"I'm Kazuhiko," he said, sitting next to her.

Kay smiled warmly, but there was something about this guy she didn't like. He sat forward awkwardly, with his elbows on his knees. "I'm Kay," she said, "Nice to meet you."

Kazuhiko nodded, and asked, "So, you hang out with Kyoya Ootori quite a bit, huh?"

"Um…Yes?" Kay wasn't sure where this conversation was going, but she knew the cover-story, "I'm an exchange student from the U.S.; the Ootori's are hosting me at their house."

"America?" the smile Kay didn't like returned, "Really? Your accent is pretty good for an exchange student."

"Lots of practice," Kay said. She glanced around for Kyoya. What was taking him so long?

When Kay looked back at Kazuhiko, he had moved uncomfortably close, and was right in her face. "So, what's it like in the U.S.?"

Kay could smell cigarettes on Kazuhiko's breath, and she tried not to gag. "Pretty similar to here, actually."

"That's surprising," Kazuhiko said, "What do you miss the most?"

Kay opened her mouth with every intention to excuse herself from the conversation, when Kazuhiko's eyes darted down to the V in her collar.

Kay remained shocked for a full second, then curled her hand into a fist. Manners forgotten, Kay opened her mouth to tell Kazuhiko to go find another girl to drool over (adding a few well-chosen words), but Kyoya had amazing timing. He placed a hand on Kay's shoulder and said, "Sorry I took so long."

Kay glanced up. Kyoya had a smile in place, but his eyes made her want to run and hide.

"Ootori," Kazuhiko said.

"Kazuhiko," Kyoya returned.

The boys kept the staring contest up, and Kyoya, without breaking eye contact, said, "Kay, I believe we have business to attend to, yes? We have to go."

Kyoya's hand was still on Kay's shoulder, and some part of her brain was telling her he was claiming her as his territory, and that she should be upset. The logical part, however, was very grateful, because Kazuhiko the pervert was backing off.

"Right," he said, standing up, "See you around, Kay." And then he was gone.

Kyoya dropped his hand, and Kay picked up her bag. "That guy's a creep," Kay said, shuddering.

Kyoya narrowed his eyes, "What happened?"

"Nothing too bad," Kay said, blushing slightly, "I'm just really happy you kept me from knocking his teeth out. I'm sure your father wouldn't appreciate that."

"No, but I wouldn't mind it," Kyoya said. Kay's eyes widened, but before she could ask him to clarify, he was halfway to the limo. Kay ran to keep up.

* * *

At the mansion, Kay was following Kyoya to the study when his cell phone rang. "I've got to take this," he said. Kay nodded. "I'd appreciate some privacy," he tried again.

Finally understanding, Kay saluted and walked to her room, shutting the door behind her. She opened her window to let some fresh, crisp air in, and lay on her bed. As nice as the weather was now, the temperatures were supposed to drop below freezing tonight and not come back up for a couple of days. October was really starting to feel like fall.

Halloween was next week, and Harley claimed to have some kind of 'master plan' for the host club tea party. While Kay contemplated Harley's possible intentions, she felt a light pressure on her stomach. She looked down and nearly fell out of bed.

There was a midnight-black cat staring at her with bright green eyes. He had one paw on her stomach. Deciding feral cats wouldn't walk straight up to humans, Kay slowly raised a hand to the cat's face. It sniffed her hand once, then butted its head against her palm. Kay petted the cat slowly; it purred and lowered itself next to her in her bed. Kay's heart melted.

The poor thing was emaciated and shivering. It had no collar, and Kay couldn't imagine anyone kicking out such a beautiful animal. Yet here it was. Kay picked him up slowly, while he continued to sleep. She cuddled him, trying to keep him warm, and closed her window. When she turned back, her door was open, and Kyoya was staring at the cat in her arms.

"Are you going to tell me where you got the flee-infested cat, or do I have to ask?"Kyoya began.

"Please Kyoya, just hear me out. He's so skinny! All he needs is food and sleep-"

"We don't take in strays," Kyoya said, eyeing the animal coldly.

_You took me in._ The words were seconds from popping out of Kay's mouth, but she held them in. Fending for herself didn't make her a stray.

Instead, Kay stayed silent and held onto her cat protectively. Kyoya took his eyes off the animal and focused them on Kay. Kay swore she saw something in them; a spark of weakness, or sadness, but then he broke eye contact with her and the moment was gone.

"Hotta!" he called out the door. The bodyguard was at his side within seconds.

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to take that cat outside and make sure it doesn't come back," Kyoya said, nodding to Kay.

Kay tightened her arms around her sleeping bundle and glared at Hotta. _Come and take him,_ her eyes said.

Hotta looked between the angry redhead and his young master. Which was more terrifying? A scathing look from Kyoya finally sent him scuttling over to Kay and he held his arms out for the cat. "Miss…" he said quietly.

Kay looked around Hotta to Kyoya, who was staring at her windows with his arms crossed rather than meeting her eyes. "He'll freeze to death," she said.

Kyoya took a deep breath and said, "Animals freeze to death all the time. Would you prefer we shoot him so he won't suffer?"

"No!" Kay said, backing away. Hotta's eyes were begging, and she knew that he would fight her if necessary. Kay was considering her odds of winning, when she heard Kyoya's voice ring out again, quiet and gentle this time.

"Kay. This is non-negotiable."

The resolve in his voice told her instantly this was a battle she wouldn't win, and she handed the cat over to Hotta, who gave Kay a sad smile and patted the top of the feline's head before striding out the door.

Kay had never begged for anything in her life, but in that moment she opened her mouth and let out a broken, "Kyoya… please."

Kyoya stiffened in the doorway for a mere second with his back to her before closing her door and leaving her alone.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm not sure on this chapter; can someone please write me a review and tell me if Kyoya is getting OOC? Much appreciated!

* * *

Kay did her homework in her room until she was called to dinner. She ate in silence, then excused herself back up to her room, and shut her door.

Kay read until night fell, then opened her window and sat on the sill. She wasn't allowed to leave, but if the cat came back, she could at least welcome him into some warmth for the night.

Kay's phone beeped and she retrieved it from her pocket. Kyoya sent her a message.

_We need to talk._

Kay threw her phone on her bed and turned her attention back outside. She didn't want to talk. When her phone bounced onto the floor, Kay wondered if she was being too childish. She had pouted through dinner, hadn't she? Sure, she had a right to protect the animal, but this wasn't her home. The hospitality here wasn't hers to give.

Still, Kyoya could have at least let her take it to a shelter for the night. His actions made Kay re-think her relationship with him. She thought they'd become close to friends, but now it seemed evident he was nothing more than her baby-sitter.

Kay shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. It was _definitely_ going to get too cold tonight for the cat.

Kay was startled when she felt her comforter draped around her shoulders. Kyoya took a seat next to her, facing into her room instead of out to the lawn. Kay didn't look at him.

"You didn't answer me," he said.

Kay remained silent.

"You're still mad at me." It wasn't a question. "Katherine, my father would never have allowed an animal in our house. He certainly wouldn't stand for a guest taking in a stray."

Kay said nothing. So what if his argument made sense? She didn't have to be happy about it. When Kay looked at Kyoya, he met her eyes.

"I just wanted to explain myself," he said, standing and moving towards the door. "Don't stay up much longer; you have to wake me in the morning."

Kay waited for the door to close, but Kyoya was waiting for a response. She nodded reluctantly. Baby-sitter and alarm-clock. All that they were to each other.

And yet, as Kay pulled the blanket tighter around herself, the thought crossed her head that friends sometimes fought as well.

* * *

Saturday morning, Kay enacted the same routine she had last week, only with much less enthusiasm.

"Tamaki thinks you're in a coma, and that someone stole your phone," she said simply, standing over his bed while he glared up at her. "You've got half an hour before he gets here."

Kay waited outside while Kyoya changed, then followed him to the car. The ride was silent.

They went to a carnival. Kay glared at a clown that tried to hug her at the front entrance, and he took a few steps back.

"Jeez," Harley said when she saw her, "You look like you just buried the body and didn't tell me about it."

Kay simply looked at Harley, who grew concerned when her friend didn't even crack a grin at their favorite joke. "Come'on," she said, grabbing Kay's arm and yanking her to concessions, "You need popcorn."

Ryan joined them at the tables; the host club had gone to ride roller-coasters with girls from school, and Kyoya was fine with Kay being on her own, provided she stayed in the park.

"What's wrong with you two?" Harley asked, chomping down a fistful of popcorn.

Kay picked at the kernels, "We had a fight. He killed a cat."

Harley laughed, "And you're mad because he got to it first?"

Harley nearly fell off her stool when Kay just stared at her. "You're serious?" she shrieked. "He killed a cat?!"

Kay didn't feel like elaborating, but she said, "He kicked it out. It probably froze to death."

"That's rough," Ryan said, nodding in agreement, "How long have you two been dating?"

Harley choked on her popcorn, and this time, _Kay_ fell off her stool. "_What_?" she managed, trying to compose herself.

Harley was laughing so hard, Kay was sure kernels would bust out of her nose. "First off," she said to Ryan, "they aren't dating. Second, that was the best fall I've ever seen, buddy!" Harley dissolved into giggles.

Kay sat back on her stool as Ryan explained, "You're just always by each other, and you seem so comfortable. You know when to stay away from him, when to make the twins back off, even how to make him happy."

Kay snorted, "I don't think anyone but Tamaki has ever made him happy."

Ryan gave her a knowing smile. "You can't see it?"

Kay blushed and rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to see. Look!" Kay pointed, "Let's go on the carousal."

They went on a few rides, played games, and Kay tried not to think about the poor cat. At the end of the day, they met the Host Club out in the parking lot.

There was a girl with green hair and a witches costume running from car to car, sticking fliers on windshields. When she got to their group, she stuck one in Tamaki's hand. "Come visit our haunted house!" she said, before scurrying off to decorate more vehicles.

"Haunted house!" the twins were chanting, "Haunted house!"

"Sounds like fun!" Hunny said. Mori nodded in agreement.

"What better way to show chivalry than being brave for terrified young ladies?" Tamaki said dramatically. "We can do it tonight! Just tell the girl's we'll meet them there!"

Kyoya pulled out his trusty tablet and began to type.

Harley and Kay shared a look. Haunted houses were not a good idea for them. Harley was a spaz, and Kay lashed out when she was afraid. Harley's brother snuck up on her once, and she punched him in the nose.

"Well," Kay yawned, "I'm kinda tired, so I'm just going to head back to the mansion-"

Kyoya's head snapped up. "If I'm going, you're going."

Kay groaned, and Harley patted her shoulder before trying to sneak off. Kay grabbed her arm, "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm kinda tired," she said, "so I'm just going to head back to the apartment-"

Kay gave her a sour look, "I have to go, so do you."

Harley's shoulders sagged. Ryan came up behind them and placed a hand on both of their shoulders. "Come on!" he said, "I'll keep you girls safe."

Kyoya was holding the door of the limo open for Kay. She sat on the edge of her seat the whole way. When they got to the house, none of the girls had shown up yet.

"I say we go through once," Kaoru said, "That way, we know what to be prepared for."

"Yea," Hikaru agreed, "No fun in getting scared along with them."

The line in the front of the house was arranged in pairs, so Honey stood with Moori, Kaoru stood with Ryan, Hikaru stood with Harley, Tamaki stood with Haruhi, and Kay ended up standing with Kyoya. Harley took her time arranging what order they stood in; Kay was suspicious.

As they approached the entrance of the house, however, Kay's nerves took over. She gripped her elbows, and tried not to jump at every little sound that the speakers near the front door emitted.

_I am such a wimp,_ she thought pathetically.

"They can't touch you."

Kay glanced over at Kyoya, "Come again?" she asked.

"The people in the haunted house," Kyoya said, "They aren't supposed to touch you."

"Oh," Kay said, "Thanks."

They moved silently the rest of the way through the line, and sooner than Kay would have liked, she tried to follow Harley in. Unfortunately, the zombie at the entrance put a hand in front of her, "Sorry miss," he said, "Only four at a time."

Kay saw Harley wink at her before disappearing behind a curtain. Bitch.

A few minutes later, Kay, Kyoya, Haruhi, and Tamaki made their way through a curtained maze of hallways.

They came to a sharp turn, and a door closed behind them. A strobe light went off, and a monster made its way to them from the corner of the room. With every flicker of the light, he appeared closer, and they were able to see more of his gruesome face. An eyeball hung from a socket. The lip was torn in half. Skin was rotten on the jaws.

Tamaki was already hiding behind Haruhi, who, amazingly, had nerves of steel. So, it seemed, did Kyoya. He looked bored. He didn't flinch when the monster grunted and jumped into his face. He raised an eyebrow at it, and looked around for an exit.

Kay, however, cringed at every loud noise and movement. When the monster was suddenly in her face, it was all she could do not to scream.

Kay followed Kyoya as closely as possible to the next room, and she bumped into him when he stopped in a dungeon. Squirming body-bags hung from the ceiling, and blood dripped into vents below their feet.

Kyoya glanced back at her, then wordlessly slipped his hand into hers. Kay was shocked, but she was too happy with the comfort to say anything.

For the next few rooms, they followed Tamaki and Haruhi. Kay was starting to find an amusing rhythm to their exploring. Tamaki would charge forward, looking brave and saying something along the lines of "I'll protect my dear daughter!" He would then become terrified in the room, cower in fear, and hide behind Haruhi.

Kay was able to focus on this hilarious distraction until the final room. A large graveyard was spread before them. The damp earth underfoot and the smell of fresh rain were putting her on edge. She loved rain. Why did this bother her? The sound of someone running. A gunshot.

The last part was too much for Kay. She froze in fear and began to shake.

The nightmare. This was just like her nightmare. When daddy died…

Kyoya was suddenly right next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Close your eyes."

Kyoya's voice snapped Kay out of her trance, and she did as she was told. Kyoya tugged Kay through the room, guiding her past graves and shooting glares at any actors who dared get too close.

When they finally reached the exit, Kyoya said, "You can open them now."

Kay opened her eyes and released Kyoya's hand. Here, back in reality, she felt silly, like a toddler too scared of a horror movie.

They were now in the parking lot again, and Kay could see plenty of girls from school, giggling and eyeing the club. Ryan left early(apparently he was needed in the hacking universe), and Kay and Harley stood alone in the parking lot as the club began to walk away.

Harley shouted at the twins, "What are we supposed to do?! Just wait for you guys?!"

Hikaru turned to walk backward and called, "Check our car! There's a friend in there who you should meet!"

Harley looked confused, but checked the back of the twin's limo. A second later, she popped up with a black cat cuddled in her arms. "Aww! Kitty!" she said.

Kay recognized him instantly. Bright green eyes and midnight fur. He'd gained a bit of weight, and his coat was brushed and shining, but there was no doubt about it; this was the cat she'd tried to save last night. The one Kyoya took away.

And apparently gave to the twins.

Kay felt relief surge through her. The kitty was okay! Kyoya wasn't so cruel. She scratched behind the cat's ears and smiled.

Kay and Harley spent the next couple hours playing with the kitty and talking about names for him.

It was well after twelve before the club stopped business for the night. Everyone was too drowsy to say much, and rides home were spent in silence.

However, when Kay and Kyoya got to the mansion, there was still one thing she wanted to say.

They made it to the top of the stairs, and Kyoya said, "Good night."

Kay wrapped her arms around Kyoya's neck, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Thank you for saving me and the cat."

And, before she could blush too hideously, she dropped her arms and practically ran to her room. She didn't see Kyoya take a moment to compose himself. Didn't see him touch his face where her lips had been.


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own: Host club, Batman: the animated series, Batman: Arkham City, Fright Night, or the Woman in Black. Note to readers: Again, feeling unsure on this chapter. I really appreciated the reviews for the last one. Thank you so much!

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Kay and Kyoya continued their usual routine. Breakfast, school, host club, tutoring, dinner, homework, and sleep. Kyoya pretended the haunted house and the kiss didn't happen, and Kay did the same. Still, as the days passed, Kay began to see what Ryan meant at the carnival. When Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose, he was irritated; when he sighed, it was usually in false exasperation. Kay knew not to talk when he was staring pointedly ahead and that when his hands were empty (usually in the limo) pleasant conversation was welcome. There were a thousand other little signals she picked up on, but those were the most obvious.

Friday was Halloween, and classes were dismissed early. Harley planned the Host Club's Halloween tea party with help from Tamaki.

When Harley did her hair and makeup, Kay regretted her agreement to the party. The outfit she was given didn't help.

"There is no way in hell!" Kay shouted to Harley through the dressing room curtain. Harley giggled and threw it open.

Kay was in a Poison-Ivy dress that barely went to mid-thigh. Green tights hugged her legs and she wore her favorite combat boots (her only choice in the costume).The top of the dress was like a low-cut tank-top, and covered in tiny green leaves. Harley had curled her hair into giant ringlets and left it wild and crazy. She had on green eye-shadow, and bright red lipstick. She placed her hands on her hips and resisted the urge to tug down her skirt. Harley scampered to a safe distance behind the twins, who were both dressed as matching Jokers. Harley herself had dyed her hair red and black, twisted it into ponytails, and wore a modern Harley-Quinn costume from _Batman: Arkham City._

Kay looked around for help, but the other boys were absorbed in their own costumes. Tamaki was staring in a mirror at his Two-faced reflection. Hunny was fixing his Penguin manacle. Mori was straightening his tie. Haruhi was tucking straw under her sleeve (the only outfit Tamaki approved of was Scarecrow from _Batman: the Animated Series_).

Kyoya was…What was Kyoya doing? Kay didn't see him. "Well," Harley said, pulling her attention back her best friend, "What do you think?"

"Who is Mori again?" Kay asked.

"Bossworth," Harley said, shrugging, "One of Penguin's henchmen. We figured it was all he'd agree to."

Kay nodded, "And why do we have to dress up?"

"Because you agreed to it!" Harley said immediately, sticking her tongue out.

"I didn't know I was dressing like a stripper!" Kay hissed back, giving into embarrassment and tugging her skirt down.

"Don't do that!" Harley tried to push Kay's hands away, and Kay backed up. She stepped on someone's shoes behind her and whirled around.

"I'msosorry!" the words tumbled out of her mouth before she even realized who she was talking to. Kyoya stood before her in all black with tiny, neon-green question marks dotting his suit jacket. A black bowler cap was balanced on his head. Kay was glad she got the apology out, because after seeing Kyoya that close (and looking that good), she wasn't sure she could say much of anything.

Kyoya's eyes darted down to her dress for a mere second before he looked past her to Harley, "What am I again?" he asked her.

"The Riddler," Harley said, "You're the smart arrogant guy."

Kay realized she was still close to Kyoya, and took a step back. Harley walked away, explaining everyone's costume to them, and the second she was gone, Kay began to fidget at her skirt again.

"You shouldn't do that," Kyoya said, "Just stand up straight. Try to stay seated if you can manage it."

Kay looked up. She didn't know he was still there. "Um…okay?" she said.

Kyoya nodded, and then went to pose near Tamaki near the front door. The club was almost open for business.

Kay and Harley sat in a far corner of the room and talked while the club began to entertain. The club would be open until the late hours of the evening. Harley and Kay were in the middle of a discussion over who was better (Joker or Riddler) when a shadow fell over them. The looked up from the couch to see Kazuhiko and a couple of friends smiling at them. "Hello, Kay," he said, "I'd like to request you."

Kay felt her stomach churn, and glanced at Harley, who was giving the boys obviously calculating looks. She didn't like them either. Kay felt eyes on her and glanced back at the club. Activities had paused, and everyone was looking in their general direction. Kyoya was staring directly at her, and met her eyes. She swore she saw a warning there.

"Gentlemen!" Tamaki said from behind the boys, giving his usual host club courtesy, "How can I help you?"

"We'd like these two young ladies to host us," Kazuhiko said, gesturing to Kay and Harley.

Tamaki didn't even glance at them, "I'm sure they'd love to! There's tea on the counter over there girls!" Tamaki gestured, and then went back to his guests.

Harley and Kay rolled their eyes in unison, and Harley went to get the tray while Kay showed the guests a couch they could sit at.

Kazuhiko's friends were staring at Harley, but Kazuhiko himself was focused on Kay. "So do you normally do this, or is Kyoya the only one you service?"

Kay's jaw dropped and her face turned red. She dug her nails into her palm and tried not to slap him.

"We'll be right with you," Kay said, wanting to diffuse before she hurt someone. When she turned to help Harley, however, Kazuhiko caught her hand and tugged it sharply; tipping Kay off balance and making her topple right into his lap.

"It's all over the school," he said quietly in her ear.

Kay had enough; she raised a hand to rake her nails down his face.

Fortunately, the twins had perfect timing. Kauru grabbed Kay's' wrist and Hikaru dragged her off Kazuhiko's lap. Hunny stood in front of Kazuhiko, looking incredibly intimidating for his four-foot height. Mori was at Hunny's side, only helping the scary image. "You need to leave," Hunny said. Mori nodded. Haruhi was standing by Tamaki, who had his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki said, "But we don't stand for disrespect of hosts or patrons," he motioned towards the door.

Kazuhiko stood up, and gave Kay one last look that made her want to claw his eyes out. "It's fine," he said to Tamaki, "We were just leaving." He motioned to his friends, and they all walked out the door.

The twins released, Kay, and she straightened her outfit. _Stupid asshole, _she thought. Kyoya placed a hand on her arm, and she turned to look at him. "Are you alright?" he asked. He sounded concerned.

"I'm fine," she said, "just a little surprised."

"What did he say to you?"

Kay reddened again, and muttered, "Nothing." She suddenly found it difficult to look at him. Instead, she went back with Harley to the couch.

Harley nodded at Kay, "You did a great job not killing him. I'm impressed."

"Thank you," she said, giving a mock curtsey.

Kyoya was quiet in the corner of the room, looking every inch the shadow king and typing away furiously on his laptop.

* * *

When the host club closed for the evening, Harley and Kay helped clean up the band room, changed, and then everyone went to the twin's mansion for a horror movie night.

While the Ootori's mansion was spacious and ultra-modern, the twin's mansion reminded Kay of a medieval castle. There were mazes of hallways, bright colors, and flowers _everywhere_, even though it was long from their season. Hikaru and Kauru had not trouble navigating, and after a few minutes, they pointed down a hallway, "This is a guest corridor," Kauru said, "If you get really tired, any doors that are open are unoccupied."

Hikaru nodded, "We're planning on sleeping in the lounge, but the beds may be more comfortable."

At the end of the guest corridor, there was an open room with two sofas (both facing a huge television), a couple of big, comfy chairs, some arcade games, and a popcorn-maker. Apparently, this was the lounge.

Kay saw Harley gape like a fish for a minute and then she grabbed Hikaru's hand. "Will you marry me? I want to live here."

Hikaru laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the sofa and sitting with her. Kauru sat next to them and fiddled with a remote. "Kauru, I can invite Ryan over," Harley said, pulling out her phone.

"No," Kauru said, waving her away, "Thank you but he has been busy for the last week. I don't want to bother him." Instead, Kauru disappeared out the door and returned a few moments later with their new cat.

Kay and Harley shared a look, then both text-bombed Ryan. No way was it fair that his boyfriend was here with a cat instead of him.

They both received the same message simultaneously: _Tlk 2morrow -all is unwell._

Ryan used weird language when there was something wrong in his precious computer-universe. They couldn't do much for him in regards to technology, but Harley dealt in information and Kay had connections, so at least they could help with less legal things…

But for tonight, Kay was content with pretending she was a normal girl at a sleep-over with her friends.

Tamaki sat on a comfy chair, but when Haruhi went to sit on the floor next to him, he looked horrified and immediately hopped up to give her his seat. "I wanted to sit on the floor," she muttered.

Mori sat on the other comfy chair, and Hunny dragged a bean-bag up to sit next to him. Kyoya took a place on one end of the sofa the twins weren't sitting on, and Kay sat on the other end. She found a pillow and cuddled it to her chest as _The Woman in Black_ started up on the giant screen. With another tap of the remote, Kauru turned the lights out. It was now pitch black, with the only source of light being the screen.

At the sight of the movie, Tamaki immediately solved the chair crisis by pulling Haruhi into his lap, wrapping his arms around her, and burying his face in her shoulder. Haruhi didn't look happy, but she didn't whine either.

Kay didn't do well with horror, but she really liked this movie. The first time she made Harley sit through it, they both spilled popcorn everywhere, and didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Half-way through the movie, Kay realized that the twins and Harley where missing on the other sofa. She heard a rustling and peeked under her arm of the couch. A dark figure popped up in front of her and let out a shriek. Kay scuttled back across the couch instinctively, and yelped when hands grabbed her ankles.

Harley and the twins fell over they were laughing so hard.

"That wasn't funny!" Kay said. Harley glanced up, and then clutched the sofa for support as a new wave of giggles took over. It was then that Kay realized she was no longer holding the pillow, but hugging Kyoya's chest. She was about to jump away and apologize, when she realized Kyoya had his arm around her, and he was glaring at the twins.

When everyone calmed back down and returned their attention to the screen, Kay pulled away from Kyoya and muttered, "Sorry."

"No problem," he said, shaking his head. He seemed reluctant to let her go.

Encouraged, Kay sat closer to Kyoya during the movie, and curled up into a ball, clutching her pillow to her chest again.

After _The Woman in Black_ , Kauru pulled up _Fright Night_, and they watched that as well. At least some of them did. Kay didn't realize she was asleep until she opened her eyes near the end of the movie realized her head had fallen onto Kyoya's shoulder. She sat up, but Kyoya didn't move, and she saw that he had fallen asleep with his head resting on his hand, elbow propped up on the arm of the sofa.

The only light in the room emanated from the glowing credits on the screen. Everyone, even Kauru, appeared to be asleep. Kay felt like she was swimming through mud. She was incredibly tired. She stood up and leaned down. Sure enough, Kyoya's glasses were still on, reflecting the names rolling across the monitor. Kay knew people hated to sleep in their glasses, so she reached up and gently tugged his off.

Kyoya's eyes popped open and his hand snapped up to catch her wrist. Kay froze. "I thought you were asleep," she whispered. She realized they were only inches apart. She could feel his breath on her face.

Kyoya's eyes dropped down to her lips when she spoke, then slowly traveled back up to her eyes. He leaned forward, still holding her wrist. Kay's brain stopped working, while her heart kicked into over-drive. She was sure he was going to kiss her.

But then Kyoya dropped her wrist and fell back, closing his eyes. It was like he was never awake. Kay folded his glasses with shaking hands and set them on a nearby table.

She walked quickly to a guest room, and shut the door behind her. She lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come for a long time.


	13. Chapter 13

Note to readers: I don't own the Purge. Also, I'm thinking about three or four more chapters on this; I plan to have it done within the next couple of weeks. Again, I'm very grateful for the reviews! :) PS: I might have screwed up the spacing at the bottom- sorry! PPS: I've edited this 3 times and I just keep finding typos! I'm sorry- you guys deserve better quality than that.

* * *

_Kyoya sat on the couch in the twins lounge. Everyone had gone to guest rooms a while ago, but Kay was asleep on Kyoya's shoulder,and he didn't have the heart to wake her. After a few minutes, she stirred, and Kyoya pretended to be asleep. Kay stood, and leaned over him. What was she doing?_

_He felt a tugging on his face, and opened his eyes. He caught her wrist on pure reflex. She was taking off his glasses so he wouldn't sleep in them. "I thought you were asleep," she whispered._

_Kyoya's eyes dropped down her lips as she spoke, then slowly roamed back up to her eyes. She was only inches away. Her blue eyes were wide open. Kyoya moved without thinking. He pulled her forward, and brushed his lips against hers. Kay stiffened for a second, and then relaxed and pressed her mouth more firmly against his. Kyoya slid his hands up to her waist, and tugged her into his lap. Kay rested her head on Kyoya's shoulder, and he held her close. He felt…content. Nothing weighed on his mind; there were no important tasks or meetings to get back to. It was nice. The stress melted away while Kay was in his arms. _

_"Kyoya," Kay murmured against his neck. _

_"Mmm?" he didn't want to say anything and break this perfect silence._

_Kay moved up and pressed her lips to his ear. Her breath tickled him as she whispered, "Wake up."_

Kyoya shot straight up in bed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in his fingers. He was having dreams about kissing Kay. This could be very problematic.

* * *

Kay was in her room. Kyoya wanted time to sleep after his uncomfortable night on the twin's lounge. She had a laptop open, borrowed, (with permission!) from Kyoya. On her screen was Harley and Ryan; they were all face-chatting.

"So, what happened that you had to leave poor Kauru all alone?" Kay asked Ryan.

"He was sitting with a _cat_ Ryan! A _cat_! This better be important, because you owe him a major apology," Harley said angrily.

Ryan waited for them to stop berating him, and then said, "Kay, someone's looking for you. Someone bad."

"What are you talking about?" She'd been quiet. No one should have a grudge against her.

"Someone logged into one of our websites looking for 'the Kat'. He offered money for people to find your exact location; even more if they can bring you to him. This guy really wants you, _alive._"

Kay swallowed the lump in her throat, "How do you know it was me? And besides, why would anyone want me?"

"He mentioned your father by name. We-me and the other guys- think that want you because they think you're as good as he was. But," Ryan shook his head, and couldn't meet Kay's eyes, "There's one more thing."

"What?"

"Alexander was the offering the money."

"Alexander?" Kay asked, "As in, the same Alexander who sent me here? He already knows where I am."

Ryan's eyes darkened, "I think he doesn't want to deal with the Ootori's or Ouran's security. No one on that website would turn you in, and I sent a huge virus to his I.P. address, but it won't keep him from looking. This guy could be very dangerous. Please just keep your head down until the contract is over. Then we can find somewhere to wait until this blows over. "

Kay nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, Ryan."

"No problem," he saluted, "I'm always here when you need me."

Harley, who had been silent this entire time, spoke up, "No one at Ouran should know who you are. Stick with Kyoya, and ask him to skip club stuff this week. It's the last week you're there, so hopefully it won't be too bad."

Kay looked at her best friend. As annoying as she was sometimes, there was true concern in her eyes. "I'll be careful," Kay promised.

"Problems in paradise?"

Kay jumped at Kyoya's voice from the door. She logged off the face chat and looked at him. He had his arms crossed and was leaning on the frame. He looked…really good.

Kay shook the thought away, and said, "How hard would it be for you to skip club activities this week?"

Kyoya shrugged, "Not too much trouble. Why?"

"Ryan told me someone has been trying to find me in a low-security situation. I think this house and Ouran during the day are my safest places to be," Kay said.

Kyoya frowned, "Is this person dangerous?"

Kay shrugged, "We don't really know. We're just trying to wait him out."

When Kay saw Kyoya's mind working, she tried to say, "Don't worry about it; I'm sure it's fine. This guy probably just wants a job done, and when he find out I don't do that anymore, he'll leave me alone."

Kay could see Kyoya was still concerned, but he nodded to try to put her at ease. "Well," he began, "Today we were going to go to the movies with the club, but, seeing as that won't happen, why don't we watch one here? I just got this…" Kyoya pulled out his tablet, and scrolled through until he found a picture of the movie he was looking for.

He showed it to Kay, who popped out of her seat, stress forgotten. "I've been dying to see that!" she said, giggling. "Where do we watch it?"

Kyoya led her to an entertainment room (apparently the Ootori's had one as well), with a sofa sitting in front of a large monitor. Simple, but effective.

Kay took a seat closer to the middle of the couch than she had the night before, and to her delight, Kyoya sat right next to her. He started _The Purge_ and they both settled in to watch it.

After the movie, they ate dinner, and Kyoya had news. "My father is holding a party this Friday evening. Your attendance is mandatory."

"Okay…Why do I have to go?" Kay asked. She really didn't want to be surrounded by nosy rich people with more money than sense.

"Father wants you to be seen, so that people don't think you're some kind of scandal we're trying to hide."

"Oh," Kay's eyes lowered, and she was reminded of Kazuhiko's crude comment.

"You don't have to stay all night," Kyoya said, trying to cheer her up, "There will be children from school there; just socialize with them and then you can hide in your room."

"What about you?" Kay asked.

"I'm afraid I'll be attending to some business associates. Don't worry," he said quickly, as he could see her shoulders sag at the thought of being on her own with a bunch of spoiled rich kids, "I'll be there if you need me."

Kay smiled at him and they sat in pleasant silence the rest of the meal. After dinner, Kay went to the study, and read while Kyoya worked on his laptop.

Kay took her sleep medicine and went to bed a few hours later. She woke up early the next morning to go to work. Kay was pretty sure a security firm would be safe.

When came down for breakfast, however, Kyoya was at the table, on his laptop. "Uh…Hi?" she tried. He always slept in on Sundays.

"Hello," he said, glancing up.

"Why aren't you in bed?" she asked. It sounded rude, but she couldn't help herself. He was _always_ asleep in the mornings. Part of their agreement was her waking him up.

"I couldn't sleep; strange dreams." This time he didn't look at her.

"Alright." He obviously didn't want to talk, so Kay grabbed an energy bar and headed out to the car that would take her to Ootori's business.

* * *

Tamaki showed up at the Ootori's a few hours later, while Kay was still at work. He found Kyoya in one of the sitting rooms, and sat on the couch next to him. "Everyone missed you at the movies yesterday," Tamaki said bluntly.

Kyoya rubbed his eyes. He'd had a total of about three hours of sleep last night and he was _not _in the mood for this, "Kay wasn't feeling well. I've actually got to skip the club for the next week. Just until Saturday."

Tamaki nodded solemnly, as if he'd expected as much, and asked, "Have you told her yet?"

Kyoya stiffened. "No," he knew exactly what Tamaki was talking about.

"You have to tell her before Saturday," Tamaki said.

"I don't see why Kay has to know. She'll be gone on Saturday. Her contract expires," Kyoya said.

"She won't just disappear, Kyoya, and you don't want her gone. She'll never forgive you if you don't tell her."

Kyoya tried to ignore Tamaki and work. Tamaki, however, wasn't finished. "If you don't tell her, I will."

Kyoya's eyes snapped up, and Tamaki knew he'd hit a nerve. Not a good idea, especially considering his friend was running on very little sleep. "Don't. You. Dare," Kyoya said. Tamaki could practically see the purple cloud of evil emanating from his shoulders. "I'll tell her," Kyoya finally relented, "Just not today. She's had some bad news recently."

Tamaki desperately wanted to ask, but he knew Kyoya would tell him if he needed to know. Instead, he remained silent and drank tea a maid brought him as Kyoya tapped away on his computer.

* * *

For the rest of the week, Kyoya and Kay went straight home after school. They did tutoring and homework before dinner, and any time they had free afterward, they would go to the study and Kyoya would work while Kay would read.

On Thursday, Kay tried to go straight to her room after dinner, but Kyoya stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"My room?" she answered, confused.

Kyoya opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but then he closed it.

Kay stood there and finally asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes," Kyoya answered, without hesitation, "I enjoy your company."

Kay grinned, "I thought it was a burden?"

To her shock, Kyoya gave her a smile- a _real_ smile-and said, "Feelings can change, can they not?"

So Kay stayed in the library with Kyoya until it was time for bed, and then, to her surprise, he walked her to her room. Again, it looked like he wanted to say something desperately, but couldn't find the words.

They stood there for a while until Kay felt awkward and asked, "Goodnight?"

Kyoya met her eyes, and held her gaze. He nodded, broke eye-contact, and walked briskly down the hall to his room.

Kay took her medication, and was grateful her sleep was dreamless.


	14. Chapter 14

Note to readers: I've got nothing. Enjoy :)

* * *

After school the next day, Fuyumi spent 3 hours on Kay's hair, makeup, and outfit. Kay barely recognized herself when she looked in the mirror. Her hair was loose but in tamed curls around her face, her eyes were outlined in black, making them look bigger than they were. Her dress was dark blue and covered in black lace; it went down just past her knees and had tulle under her skirt to make it puffy. Fuyumi tried to get her into heels.

"Come on!" she said, "I walk in them all the time! You'll do fine!"

"No! If I twist my ankle, how am I going to walk around the party?" Kay asked.

"You don't walk! You just sit at tables and wait for people to walk to you!"

Kay rolled her eyes, and slipped on her combat boots. Fuyumi opened her mouth to protest, and then her eyes widened. "Actually," she said, "That doesn't look too bad."

Kay looked at the full length mirror in the guest bedroom they were preparing in and agreed with Fuyumi. High-heels might have been prettier, but this looked cute in its own way. She preferred this style anyway.

Fuyumi herself had navy dress that had a slit up the side of the skirt, her hair was in a braid down her back, and her heels made Kay's feet hurt just by looking at them.

"Remember not to insult anyone," Fuyumi said, "Its better just to be a listener."

Kay nodded. She needed to keep her big mouth shut.

"Ready girls?"

Kay turned to find Kyoya in a tux. Yep, there went her ability to speak. Right out the window.

"Kyoya!" Fuyumi was giggling, "Tell Kay what you think of her outfit!" Fuyumi gripped Kay's shoulders, proud of her work.

Kyoya nodded in Kay's general direction and said, "Nice shoes."

Kay felt horribly embarrassed and looked at the floor. "Kyoya, you're so rude!" Fuyumi said, sticking her tongue out.

"We need to get downstairs. Some guests have already arrived."

Kyoya turned on his heel and strode out the door. Kay ran to catch up with him and stared at the floor to keep her concentration. She muttered quiet enough that Fuyumi wouldn't hear, "How's the security here?"

"The entirety of our advanced team is on guard tonight, as well as some of the guests own security."

Kay nodded. So tonight would be fine.

They descended the staircase and made their way into the dining hall. The huge table and chairs had been removed, and dozens of tiny tables were set up around the room, with a big open place in the middle for people to dance to the quiet classical music playing. Everyone was dressed in fine 'high-class' attire, where all the men in matching tuxes and every woman seemed to be competing to see who could show the most skin without looking slutty.

The crowd seemed to grow quiet and Kay blushed as she felt eyes on her. "Why are they staring?" she finally hissed under her breath. Maybe these shoes were a bad idea…

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyoya muttered, before disappearing into the crowd. He sounded frustrated.

Kay looked around and eventually found some girls she recognized from school. She was welcomed into their conversation, and she chatted for a couple hours. Turns out rich kids weren't all spoiled brats after all. They all got drinks of punch from waiters. Out of the corner of her eye, Kay watched the time pass by the darkness in a high window. It was already well into the evening. One girl was telling a funny story when she her eyes widened and she looked past Kay. The other girls followed suit.

Kay turned around; Kazuhiko was behind her, looking very unhappy. "Hello, Kay," he said, "May I speak with you?"

Kay turned back to the group of girls, who had mysteriously disappeared. So much for them being nice.

Kazuhiko's tie was slightly off-center. His hair was unkempt and when he spoke his breath smelled sour. He was drunk. "How can I help you?" Kay asked, trying to be polite.

"Do you know what happened to the stock I bought?" Kazuhiko asked.

_What the hell…? _Kay thought. "Uh…am I supposed too?"

"It plummeted in price. Seventy-five thousand dollars, completely lost. Guess what day it happened?"

He didn't wait for Kay to respond, "Halloween," he said, "Why do you think that is? I'll tell you why! Your horny little boyfriend! I don't know how he did it, but I know it was his fault!"

Kay remembered Kyoya on his laptop as soon as they kicked Kazuhiko out of the club. She was sure he had something to do with it, but she said nothing. "Our families have always hated each other," he went on, "Warring in the hospital business, you understand. I never liked him anyway; always smiling through his teeth. Who does he think he is?"

Kay didn't realize she was backing up until she hit a cool marble wall. This wasn't good; she was going to lose control soon. Somehow, Kazuhiko was still in her face. "I know how I can get back at him, though," Kazuhiko's eyes lit up and he whispered, "How much do you cost?" He reached out and squeezed Kay's butt.

He then had the audacity to look surprised when her punch was dripping down his face.

Kazuhiko looked shocked, but it was all Kay could do not to add blood from a broken nose to the pink punch on his shirt. Kazuhiko raised a hand to slap her, Kay raised a hand to stop him and braced her feet. But the blow never came. Kay looked at Kazuhiko's hand and saw long, pale fingers gripping his wrist.

"What a horrible accident," Kyoya said loudly from behind Kazuhiko, "Katherine, you look ill. Why don't I take you outside for some air?"

The next thing Kay knew, she was being guided away by Kyoya, and Kazuhiko was being led to the door by two guards.

By the time they stepped into the back-yard, the party had resumed its chatter. Kyoya released Kay, and she stormed away from him to sit on a stone bench.

"Why can't that guy just leave me alone?" Kay asked the stars.

"I promise he won't be bothering you again," Kyoya said. He looked pissed.

"Thanks for the rescue in there," Kay said sheepishly, "Sorry if I embarrassed you."

Kyoya softened, "He's had that coming for a long time." Kyoya took a seat next to Kay.

Kay stared at the lawn for a long moment, and then asked, "Did you really drop his stock prices?"

Kyoya shifted next to her, "I merely sold my shares. Business does what it will."

Kay had a feeling that was a yes, so she remained quiet.

Kyoya surprised her by saying, "Katherine, I…I'm going to miss having you here."

"I'll still work for your father," she said, smiling out at the night, "I'll still be at school. I'll visit the Host Club every week."

Kyoya sighed next to her, and asked, "Kay?"

"Hmm?"

"Why won't you look at me when you're speaking?"

Kay turned her head and found Kyoya much closer than she anticipated. His black eyes bored into her, and again she found that she found that she couldn't talk. She was reminded of Halloween night.

"I…"Kay managed.

Kyoya leaned forward and took Kay's head in his hands. He brushed his lips against hers and waited. Kay leaned forward and pushed her lips to his. She wanted this as much as he did. Kyoya wrapped one arm around her waist and pushed his other hand up into hair. He tilted her head back and deepened the kiss.

Kay responded to the best of her ability (she'd never been kissed before), and when she was sure her heart was going to explode, Kyoya released her from the kiss and crushed her against his chest. She could feel him panting and his heart pounding through his jacket. He had his cheek pressed against her head.

"Kay," he whispered into her hair.

"Yes?" she whispered back.

"I'm so sorry."

And then he released her and walked back inside. Kay was all alone on the lawn. She suddenly felt very cold.

* * *

Kay was pacing in her room. She wasn't required to be with an Ootori anymore; her month was over. It ended at midnight last night. She was moving back in with Harley tomorrow. Right now all she could think about was Kyoya. What did the kiss mean? Why did he apologize?

Kay heard the downstairs door open, and her heart fluttered in her chest. She was going to ask him. Confront him. Anything was better than just nervous fidgeting. Kay opened her door and began to descend the stairs. She stopped midway when she saw a girl with impossibly long blonde hair and an impossibly short skirt spinning in a slow circle in the middle of the living room. Kyoya stood in the doorway watching her, looking cold and emotionless as ever.

"Ah, Kyo!" the girl giggled, "It is even prettier than I remember!"

_Kyo? _Kay thought.

The girl flounced over to Kyoya and draped herself across his arm. "I'm _so_ sorry I missed the party last night. I heard it was beautiful."

Kyoya didn't flinch away, and Kay was surprised. The girl's accent was French, and she sounded like she was purring words instead of saying them. Suddenly feeling intrusive, Kay shifted awkwardly from her vantage point on the stairs. Kyoya's eyes snapped up to hers, and he looked apologetic for a mere second before he wiped his face of emotion again. The girl followed his gaze and her eyes narrowed.

"Who's she?" the girl whispered loudly to Kyoya.

"Katherine," Kyoya said, "This is Angela. Angela, this is Katherine. She's a foreign exchange student from America staying with us." Kyoya's eyes never left Kay's, and Kay felt like he was trying to telepathically communicate.

Angela waited for her introduction, but when Kyoya said nothing else, she bounded forward and stuck out a hand to Kay, "I'm his fiancé!" she giggled.


	15. Chapter 15

Note to readers: No offense intended to anyone French; I was just trying to make a contrast to Tamaki.

* * *

Kay's mind raced, and it took all of her energy to keep calm. She plastered a smile on her face and stuck out her hand to Angela. "Pleasure to meet you," she said.

Angela gave her hand a quick shake and returned to Kyoya's side. "Are all the Americans as dumb as they say?" she stage-whispered to Kyoya again.

Kay went from shocked to pissed in a matter of seconds. She had done nothing to this girl. Angela was apparently just a bitch. Kyoya said nothing, and Kay was sick of playing nice-little-timid girl.

"Of course we aren't all stupid," Kay said, laughing and rolling her eyes. She walked all the way down the steps and stood a foot away from Angela, "Just like I'm sure French women aren't whores. Well," Kay looked Angela up and down, from her high-heels to her low-cut tee-shirt, "I'm sure _most_ of them aren't."

Kay gave Angela a wink, then brushed past the couple and outside to the chauffer.

The chauffer gave her directions to the nearest bus stop, and she turned around to take one last look at the mansion. Angela was standing in the doorway, looking like an angry banshee. Kyoya was next to her, covering his mouth, trying not to laugh.

* * *

Kay found the bus stop without too much trouble, and was able to get within a couple blocks of her's and Harley's apartment. She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. Was it stupid coming here? She came all the way here without security, and she prayed that Alexander hadn't been watching for her. It had been the farthest thing from her mind minutes ago, but now it seemed stupid. Still…the image of Angela draped around Kyoya popped into her head, and she decided she needed a friend. She opened the door to find Harley in front of the game station.

"Hey," Harley said, "Thought you weren't due back until tomorrow."

Kay said nothing. She went to the kitchen, got a cherry soda, and popped it open. She took a swig and plopped on the couch. Harley was staring at her.

"What?" Kay asked.

"Red," Harley said carefully, "You and I both know you're only that silent when something is really wrong."

Kay took a deep breath, "I met Kyoya's fiancé."

Harley looked shocked for three seconds, then jumped up and shouted, "That son of a bitch!"

Kay laughed at Harley's reaction. "So what did you do?" Harley asked.

Kay shrugged, "Called her a whore."

Harley laughed, "That's the Red that I know!" her face softened, "I'm so sorry buddy."

Kay said, "It's not as if I had anything with Kyoya. We never dated. We weren't a couple," an image of Kyoya kissing her last night flashed into Kay's head, and her voice cracked. She stopped talking, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Buuddddy!" Harley said, wrapping her arms around Kay. Kay gave her a quick hug, then went to her room, closed the door, crawled into bed next to Artemis, and cried.

About half an hour later, Kay had her make-up fixed, and her eyes weren't red. She was fine. She emerged from her room to find Ryan in the kitchen with Harley.

"Hey," she smiled, "What are you doing here?"

Ryan gave Kay a hug and smiled. "We're taking you to lunch. The twins are meeting us there."

Harley nodded eagerly, "Mexican. The rich guys are buying."

"As nice as that sounds," Kay said, "I really don't want to be a fifth wheel."

"Hahaha. No," Harley said, in a flat voice, "you're going. End of story."

And that was how Kay got suckered into feeling better.

Kay was concerned on the way to the restaurant about Alexander, but Ryan said, "He's been silent for the last week; maybe he gave up. One restaurant isn't going to be a huge risk. "

Kay fidgeted with the salt and pepper at the table. Ryan was talking to Kaoru, Harls was talking to Hikaru, and Kay was all alone. Kay sipped her water. She fixed her hair.

Harley turned to Kay to try to include her in conversation when the color drained from her face and she stiffened in her chair. Kay turned around to see Kyoya get dragged to another booth by Angela.

Kay said nothing and stared at her glass in silence. Harley, however, was livid.

"How did he know where we were?" she hissed to no one in particular.

Next to her, Hikaru was pointedly staring at the floor.

"Brother, you didn't," Kauru's tone was begging.

Hikaru raised his hands in a gesture of surrender when Harley turned a murderous glare on him. "What was I supposed to do?" he asked, "Kyoya was begging me, and I thought he wanted to talk!"

"Are you an _idiot!?_" Harley asked.

Hikaru was shrinking a little for every insult Harley threw at him. Kay was finding it rather amusing.

After they're food arrived, Kay was so caught between eating and talking to Harley, that she barely remembered that Kyoya and Angela were in the restaurant. That is, however, until the waiter came over to refill their drinks, and Angela sauntered over and bumped her hip right into him.

The waiter wobbled, a glass tipped, and Kay's shirt was suddenly soaked with ice water.

"Ma'am, I am so sorry!" the waiter looked mortified.

Kay stood up and waived him off. "It's fine. It's just water," she said. She would not let Angela make her upset.

Kay made her way to the bathroom, grabbed a handful of paper towels, and began trying to soak up the water.

Meanwhile, a man was making his way into the restaurant. He was fidgety, missing a finger, and had a gun hidden under his shirt.

"Excuse me, sir," said the hostess, "Can I help you?"

"No," the man said quickly, "I'm, uh, looking for someone."

"Do you have a last name? Perhaps they have a reservation," the girl placed her hand on the top page of the little notebook in front of her.

"No," the man growled, and began to wander into the restaurant.

"Sir!" she called after him, "I can't just let you in. I can call a manager and-"

"No!" the man said. He spun around to the hostess, and his shirt became just un-tucked enough to see the black metal of the gun.

The man tried to tuck in his shirt, but the hostess had already seen it. Her eyes widened in fear, and she opened her mouth to scream. The man sighed, took out the gun, and fired a shot into the air. Everyone in the restaurant jumped and then froze at the exact same time.

"I don't want any trouble," the man said, "I'm just looking for Katherine Smith. When I get her, I'll be on my way." He gave a mock bow, waived the gun, "In the meantime, why doesn't everyone line up on the back wall where I can see you?"

People began to scuttle to the wall, and the man observed the customers. Surely one of them had to know her… Then he saw it. A young man with black hair and glasses hesitated in getting up from his table. The man with the gun grabbed Kyoya and pressed the barrel to his head.

"Where is she?" he hissed into the man's ear. Kyoya remained silent and still as death.

When Kay heard the gunshot, she quietly emerged from the bathroom and crept down the hall. She saw Alexander in a window's reflection, growling at Kyoya and pressing a gun to his head. Kyoya said nothing. Kay felt the blood drain from her face. She felt panic rise in her throat and she pushed it back. She had to help Kyoya. She had to be calm.

Kay was trying to come up with a solution when Angela stepped away from the wall, hands on her hips. She looked like the queen of the universe, as if no one (even a man with a gun) would dare disobey her. Talk about spoiled.

"This," she gestured to the captive Kyoya, "Was not part of our deal."

"The situation has changed," Alexander said coldly, "Maybe you didn't notice," he pointed the gun in Angela's direction, and she seemed to just realize she was in danger. She took a shaky step back. "I'm in control of the _deal_ now, sweetheart. You're of no more use to me, so unless you want your brains splattered all over this beautiful floor, you'll join the other people like a good little hostage."

Angela backed up to the wall and remained silent.

"Oh Kitty Kat!" Alexander shouted, pointing the gun back to Kyoya, "Where are you?"

Kay stepped out from behind the wall and raised her hands. Kyoya's eyes widened, and he gave the slightest shake of his head, but Kay ignored him and walked slowly towards Alexander.

"Hello, my dear," he said, smiling, "What took you so long?"

"Alex," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "I'll come with you. Please, don't hurt him."

"Ah," Alexander's eyes widened, and he glanced down at his hostage, "Found a little boyfriend, have we? Good for you." Alexander shoved Kyoya to the floor, and keeping the gun trained on him, raised a hand to Kay to take his place.

Kay stepped forward, but Kyoya said from the floor, "I'm worth much more than she is."

Kay froze, and Alexander hissed, "What?"

Kyoya was staring at Alexander, and refused to look at Kay. "I'm the son of a billionaire. Hold me for ransom."

_Shut up you idiot!_ Kay wanted to scream, but she was terrified any noise would send Alexander over the edge and give him a reason to start shooting.

Alexander laughed at Kyoya's offer, "I'm not interested. Far too many police involved in ransoms. Besides," Alexander grabbed Kay by the arm and pulled her uncomfortably close, "We have a bit of history, don't we, Kitty Kat?"

Kay kept her face expressionless, and offered no resistance as Alexander dragged her out the door and to the car.


	16. Chapter 16

With every step through the parking lot, Kay was thinking of ways she could get out of this. She could grab the wheel and crash the car. She could run at the first stop they came to. She could break Alexander's nose and fight him for the gun.

However, when they got to the car, none of it mattered. Alexander pulled a small object from a bag on the passenger seat, Kay felt a pinch, like a bee-sting, in her neck, and then she was out cold. Alexander shoved her in the seat, buckled her seat belt (she was precious merchandise, after all) and sped away from the Mexican restaurant.

* * *

Kyoya picked himself off the floor and watched them go. The second Alexander was out of sight, Kyoya called the police.

An hour later, after everyone was interviewed, the twins, Ryan, Harley, Kyoya, and Angela all stood outside the restaurant in a group. Kyoya was staring hard at the ground.

"Why this restaurant?" he asked Angela suddenly. "You hate Mexican. Why did you insist on eating here?"

Angela paled and opened her mouth, but Hikauru cut in, "Wait. Kyoya, you asked me where we were so you could see Kay."

Kyoya shook his head and pulled out his phone. Sure enough, there were two messages to Hikauru, begging to know where they were.

Kyoya glared at Angela, who folded her arms defensively. "What did you do?" he asked. His voice had taken on the tone that made the twins and Harley instinctively wince.

Angela's face grew ugly, and she tossed her hair behind her shoulder, "Oh, please! Everyone has seen the way you look at that little bitch! After what she said to me this morning, how can you blame me?" Angela placed a hand on Kyoya's arm, and Kyoya pulled away.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Kyoya had only lost his temper once that he could remember, and he wasn't proud of it. He refused to do it again, although at the moment he was dangerously close to hitting a woman.

"Of course," Angela said, "Part of my deal with the man was that we never see her again."

Kyoya was sure he was going to lose it, but Harley rushed forward and saved him. She slapped Angela across the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you piece of shit?!" Harley screeched. "If we never see her again, I pray for _your_ sake that_ I_ never see _you_ again! I will kick your ass so hard they'll be picking up pieces of you from here to England!"

Harley was beginning to rant, and everyone could hear it. Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder in a futile attempt to calm her.

Angela rubbed her cheek and glared at Harley. "What the hell is so special about an ugly little thieving whore?"

Kyoya balled his hands into fists, and stepped forward. Even Angela could feel the rage rolling off of him, and knew she'd gone too far. "In case it wasn't obvious, the wedding is off, and if I ever hear you talk about Katherine again, I will personally make your life a living hell."

Angela turned her back on the group and stormed off in huff. It was then that everyone noticed Harley was tapping away like an angry bird at a laptop. After a few seconds, Harley spun the screen around to face everyone, and said, "Her life is officially over anyway."

Of course, the queen of blackmail always had something up her sleeve. On the screen images were scrolling past. Angela doing drugs, drinking, partying, and a few other things that shouldn't be discussed with decent people. Even Ryan was impressed at the amount of damage she'd managed to cause within seconds.

Harley turned the screen back to herself and began furiously typing again. She had at least a dozen more pictures to post. "Nobody messes with my friends," she muttered.

* * *

Alexander took Kay out to a highway, drove just under the speed limit for about three hours, and then pulled over to a gas station in the middle of no-where. He waited for her to wake up, then he handed her some dark chalk, a pair of fake glasses, and a bag of clothes. "Go change," he said, "Then meet me back here."

Kay headed to the bathroom. She was incredibly drowsy. It was like she was on the ocean floor. There was no point in running. There was nothing within walking distance, and she was too weak to get anywhere anyway. Alexander would probably kill the sleepy teenage cashier if Kay tried to ask for help. Kay supposed she should be happy she wasn't dead yet.

She changed clothes, put on the glasses, and rubbed the chalk into her hair. A glance in the mirror proved Alexander's intentions. With her ivory skin surrounded by dark colors and the bulky glasses hiding her face, she looked smaller and paler than she actually was. People wouldn't recognize her at first glance. A shiver traveled through her as she tried to imagine why Alex wanted her to look different.

She went back out to the car to find Alexander holding a bottle in one hand, and a needle in the other. "Pick your poison," he said, "injecting tranquilizers or swallowing them?"

Kay's heart sank, and she took the bottle from his hand. "How many?" she asked, as he fished a bottle of water from the back of his car.

"Three should do it. I'll give you more if I need more time."

Kay took the pills and climbed into the passenger seat. She buckled her seatbelt. Alexander took the driver's side, and they sped off in the direction they had been going before. "So," she asked, "What is the plan?"

Alexander raised an eyebrow at her.

Kay shrugged, "You've got me too drugged up to do anything. I might as well know." That much was true. She was sure she could barely lift her hands, let alone push the steering wheel off course. Not to mention there was no guarantee she'd survive a crash.

Alexander shrugged and smiled a bit before he began. Clearly he'd been wanting to brag to someone. Alexander said, "Do you have any idea how hard it was finding you? I knew you went to Japan, but to get a message to you was freak'n _torture_. I finally figured I'd give you a job, with some sob story about the mafia and kill you when you delivered the merchandise. Then that idiot Ootori let you live at his house after attempting to rob him- seriously, who does that?- so I looked for some public information about and found out the price a certain American gang paid for teenage girls. When I told them you were 'the Kat', you doubled in value! I had to find you out in the open. Somewhere without all the dammed billionaire security . Stupid internet. My computer was smoking by the time I was done with the hacker chat-rooms."

Kay tried not to smile. That would be Ryan's virus. She also couldn't feel her legs or arms.

"Why did you want to kill me?" her tongue felt swollen and heavy.

"Because you were the only witness," he said, as if it was obvious.

"Witness?"

"To when I killed your father," he said bluntly.

Kay stared at him, wide-eyed and uncomprehending, "You what?"

"Aw, come on," he said, glancing at her, "don't pull that 'repressed memory' bullshit with me. We both know you were there. Why else would dear-old-daddy be at a playground?"

"You killed my dad…" her mind was slipping out of her grasp like smoke. She couldn't think straight. She didn't remember anything. But there were things she _did_ remember. Mint ice cream on Fridays, dollars for doing the dishes, dance-lessons to keep them both graceful. He'd never seen her on her first day of high-school; he'd never be there to cheer for her on graduation day, or walk her down the aisle when she got married. The man she'd loved most in the world, the only family she'd ever known, had been taken from her.

And the man who did it was chatting with her like it was the newest movie in theaters.

Kay wanted to scream, to rip his eyes out, to shove her fist into his nose, but she was trapped by her own body, which was pulling her deeper into unconsciousness every second, like an anchor under water.


	17. Chapter 17

A note to readers: I made a huge error before- apologies to those who caught it- its fixed now.

* * *

Harley and Ryan were in the study at the Ootori's mansion, which was set up like a home-base. The whole host club was there, and everyone had a job. The twins were calling in their helicopter, Mori and Hunny discussed plans with the head of the security teams. Haruhi had was looking at flight plans and road-blocks to see if there was anything they could have missed.

Kyoya was in the corner of the room, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His laptop was open in front of him, his hair was messy, and he was rarely blinking. Tamaki placed some tea on the table in front of him. "We'll find her," he said.

Kyoya didn't answer.

"They couldn't have gotten far," Tamaki tried.

Kyoya shot his best friend a glare, "I'm trying to think," he said.

It was true; the problem was, every time an idea came, it was crowded over with other thoughts. It was his fault. She'd taken his place. She might never wake him up again. What if he never got to hear her laugh or watch her smile again? He didn't even get a chance to apologize.

And now he never might.

Kyoya took a shaky breath and Tamaki put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her," Tamaki said, quietly this time.

The head of the security team suddenly ran out the door, yelling into his radio. They'd found the car. It was speeding along a highway. The hostage was in the passenger seat.

* * *

When Kay woke up this time, they were speeding along a highway. It was night. She could hear sirens behind them, and Alexander was staring fixedly ahead. Kay's seatbelt was buckled, and she was grateful, because according to the dashboard, they were going 95 mph and gaining speed.

"Alex, please, slow down," she begged. He didn't even glance at her.

Alexander pulled over suddenly and turned the wheel slightly. Kay's seatbelt cut into her shoulder so hard it burned. Still drowsy from the drugs, she barely noticed Alexander running out of the car over to her side until the pressure from the seatbelt was suddenly released and she was yanked out of the car.

Kay fell to the ground, only to be yanked up so hard by her arm she was sure it would pop from its socket. Kay supported herself on shaking legs as Alexander pressed his gun to her head. "That's not police," Alexander muttered, glancing over the car's hood, "Who _is_ that?"

There were headlights shining right in their faces, but Kay could make out heavy black trucks. Were these people here to help her or damn her?

"I'll kill her!" Alexander yelled to whoever they were, and a spotlight shined in his eyes. His grip tightened on the gun.

A shot rang out, and the window shattered. These guys meant business, and they weren't here to negotiate.

He dropped down behind the car suddenly and shoved Kay away. His face looked slightly apologetic, "Looks like I'm not getting out of here with you. Maybe I can run without you. Nothing personal. " Alexander raised his gun, aimed directly at Kay, and, without thinking, Kay grabbed the barrel and shoved it away from her.

Alexander fired the shot, but it missed. Kay felt a horrible pain in her hand and immediately pulled it away and wrapped it in the bottom of her shirt. She didn't want to look at it. Alexander pointed the gun at the top of Kay's head, and pulled the trigger.

The gun clicked. It was jammed. Alex dropped the gun and lunged.

Though wounded and drugged, Kay had a lot going for her; she was strong and much younger than Alexander. She ducked away and kicked Alex mid-jump, pushing him off balance. While he stumbled she grabbed the gun and pointed it at him. "Jammed, remember kitty?" Alex said, with a horrible smile.

Kay smiled back and pistol-whipped Alexander across the face as hard as she could. He fell and moaned. Kay managed to hold the gun with her wounded hand, and re-cycled the bullet, placing a new one in the chamber. The gun was no longer jammed. She pointed the gun at Alexander on the ground.

"What's the matter, Kitty-Kat?" he taunted, "Is the thief scared to get blood on her hands?"

This man tried to kill her. He'd taken everything from her, and intended to sell her into slavery. She wanted more than anything to pull the trigger. But she wasn't a killer. There was no need to kill him; he was defenseless. It just felt …_wrong_.

Kay narrowed her eyes but did nothing. She heard a shout behind her and glanced back. Alexander took the opportunity and tackled her. Kay wouldn't release her vice-grip on the gun, and Alex had one hand trying to tug it away, and the other wrapped around Kay's throat. Alex knocked her over, and when they hit the ground, Kay's elbow bounced.

The gun went off.

Kay and Alexander froze. Kay felt another agonizing pain, this one in in her side, right by her stomach. Alexander rolled off of her, and she saw blood covering them both. Something glinted red in his hand. A knife.

Kay reached a shaking hand up to her side and felt the pained area. It was soaked and still pouring blood. She threw the gun under the car and tried to use both hands to stop the flow. She was growing dizzy, which she was pretty sure wasn't a good sign.

Someone was suddenly above her, adding painful pressure to her hands. "Call an ambulance!" he shouted.

Kay stared up at him. Onyx eyes behind glinting glasses. Kyoya.

Kay relaxed a little at the sight of him, and she felt herself begin to slip. She looked past Kyoya to the night sky above. It felt like she was falling.

"Kay!"Kyoya sounded panicked, but she muted him out. The pain began to fade.

Kay dropped into unconsciousness for the third time that day.


	18. Chapter 18

Note to readers: I hate tragedy; don't you? :)

* * *

Kay woke up in a white room with a tube in her nose. She reached up to pull it out but a hand stopped her. "It's oxygen," a male voice said, "It's better to keep breathing it."

Kyoya dropped her hand, and Kay sat up in her hospital bed. "Where's Alexander?" she asked.

Kyoya shrugged, "Dead. Bled out."

"Did I shoot him?" Kay asked.

Kyoya hesitated before saying, "Yes."

Kay nodded. She thought so. She didn't really feel much right now. Maybe guilt would come later.

"How long have I been here?" she asked.

"It's been a day and a half. They had to take some blood from the twins for a transfusion. You got some stitches, too."

Kay shifted a little and felt a tugging on her side. Some hair fell into her face. She raised her hand to move it, but realized she had an I.V. stuck to it. Kyoya reached forward and brushed the hair out of the way. His hand lingered, and Kay pulled away. Kyoya gave her a confused look and Kay asked bluntly, "Where's Angela?"

Kyoya looked cold again. "In prison. She stole my phone and texted Hikaru to find out where you were, then told Alex where to find you."

Kay remained silent. Kyoya ducked his head, and took a deep breath, as if what he was going to say pained him greatly. "Kay," he began, "I could apologize every day fro the rest of my life, and it wouldn't come close to telling you how sorry I am. "

Kay didn't blame him for her getting kidnapped, and she forgave him for keeping Angela a secret the second she woke up. She felt pathetic for it, however, and her pride kept her from saying anything.

Harley, with perfect timing, of course, burst into the room. "Reeeed!" she shrieked, "You're awake!"

Harley had a duffel bag in one hand and a hairbrush in the other. "Let's get you cleaned up to leave!" she said.

A doctor followed Harley in and took out Kay's I.V. "I'm going to give you something to help you sleep before you leave, alright?" he asked. Kay nodded, and with help from Kyoya and Harley, stumbled to the bathroom. Harley tossed in the duffel before closing the door and saying, "Call me when you're done! I'm gonna fix your hair."

Kay glanced in the mirror and saw what Harley meant. Whatever rinse they'd given her here only succeeded in clumping the chalk and blood together, making her hair blotchy and matted.

Kay tugged on the loose jeans and t-shirt quickly, pausing only to notice the hideous black stitching holding her side together. 'Some stitches' was an exaggeration; there were at least twenty. Kay didn't dwell on it, and instead put on the shirt and tugged open the door to let Harley in. Harley tucked a towel around Kay's shoulders, and sat her on the edge of the tub. She took a cup from the bag, filled it with warm water, dampened Kay's hair, and gently began to clean the chalk away.

A thought suddenly hit Kay. "How come you weren't here when I woke up?"

Harley raised an eyebrow, "Kyoya's been crabby since you left. He didn't sleep the night we got you here, and hasn't left your side since they let us in to see you. You really think I'm gonna interrupt the king of nightmares during his personal time?"

Kay shrugged. It made sense. Harley cleared her throat. "Also, since they can take better care of you then I can, you're going to the Ootori house until you recover."

Kay opened her mouth to protest, but Harley cut her off, "His _dad_ insisted. Mr. Ootori himself! Are you really going to disrespect such hospitality?"

Harley was making too much sense, and this was how Kay realized she was out of it. She was too tired to protest anything. She just wanted to go home. When Harley was finished, she followed her out to the room, got injected with the sleep-stuff, and followed Kyoya drowsily out to the limo. She slept the whole ride to the mansion, and when they got there, Kyoya all but carried her to her room. She fell asleep on the overstuffed mattress without a problem.

* * *

Kay was in a park with her father. She was twelve. The scent of rain hung in the air and the mulch at her feet was damp. Thanks to the recent thunderstorm, all the pregnant blonde housewives in the area had deemed the park too dirty to play in, and given their children mind-numbing video games to keep them quiet instead. The park was abandoned, and Kay loved it. Her father insisted they play hide-and-seek. Kay claimed to be too old, but her father insisted, saying, "It keeps me young."

Kay had taken a place behind the slide, curled up into a ball to fit into a tiny square of space that children weren't supposed to play in; a fluke by the building company in an otherwise flawless kingdom. The playground of the park was an acre of swinging bridges, slides, swings, secret compartments and hidden towers. They all meshed together in a beautiful maze that Kay loved to explore when she was alone. With other kids it was difficult, because they would bump into her and make useless noise. But alone she was in her domain.

Kay's chain of thoughts was broken when she heard the tell-tale stairs of the tower she was hiding in creak. Kay held her breath and waited. Seconds later, her Daddy popped up and shouted "Boo!"

Kay shrieked with laughter and popped out of her hiding place. "Again?" he asked.

Kay nodded.

While her father took his place by the home-base of the swings, Kay made her way to the hidden passage halfway across the complex. She was on a swinging bridge when she heard loud talking. Her Daddy and another man. Kay took the most silent route she could through two tunnels, a climbing rope, and a net before she finally reached the tower nearest them. Her father and a partner from their work, Alexander, were arguing.

Kay stayed in her hiding place and watched.

"Lost my finger because of you!" Alexander was saying, pointing the finger of his uninjured hand at Daddy. His other hand was hidden in a sling.

Daddy shook his head and spoke calmly, "I did nothing. I told you not to take the job. You hacked into a mafia's computer and stole the drug money!"

"Which you were supposed to help me move!" Alexander hissed, "When you weren't there, they found me with the money and chopped off my finger as a warning to other thieves!"

"I told you I wasn't going to do it," Daddy said, shaking his head, "I have a daughter I need to watch out for!"

"You won't for much longer," Alexander hissed, before taking a gun from his belt and shooting Alexander in the head in one swift motion. "Traitor," he hissed, spitting on the corpse.

Kay was in shock. It never occurred to her to scream.

Alexander then turned around and shouted, "Here Kitty, Kitty!" to the general playground.

Kay ran. She was down the tower stairs in an instant and flying across the hidden passageway to the other side of the jungle gym. She found a rock on her way and picked it up. Her brain was running at lightning speed, desperately trying to get her out of here alive. Her plan was cowardly and lacking in creativity, but she needed a cell phone, and therefore needed Alexander away from her….father's body.

Kay went as far as she dared, just to the edge of the play set. She raised the rock high above her head and chucked it as hard as she could into the woods. It made a sufficient amount of noise and Kay ducked into a hiding place. Alexander ran out to the woods a few seconds later, panting like a dog with a scent. Kay gave her heart a second to slow, before she flew across the playground as fast as her legs could carry her. She skidded to a halt beside the body and reached into his cargo-pants pocket with shaking hands. Not _his. It's._ Because that's all it was. An _It_. This lifeless shell wasn't her father. Daddy was gone.

Tears filled Kay's eyes at her last thought, but she pushed it away and held onto the shock. Shock was the only thing keeping her from curling into a ball and waiting for Alexander to find her.

Kay finally found the cell phone. She ignored the red stain on her fingers and flipped the phone open. Daddy only carried 'burner phones' because as soon as a job was over, he'd pitch the old one. Kay heard bushes and trees snap in the woods, and she knew Alexander was on his way. Kay scampered to the nearest hiding place: under the wooden tower.

Alexander came huffing and puffing out of the woods. He gave Daddy's body a single glance and said to it, "Your little kitten's a smart one, isn't she?"

Alexander stood up straight and still. He was trying to catch a noise. Kay remained like a statue and forced herself to hold her breath, praying it would slow her pounding heart. Just when Kay was sure her lungs would burst, Alexander snarled, and went back into the woods. When she couldn't hear him crashing through underbrush anymore, Kay dialed the police on the cell phone. She refused to say anything to the lady on the other line besides the address of the park, and "If I talk he'll find me."

Kay didn't dare leave the safety under the jungle gym until she heard police sirens. She crawled out from under the thing, shaking, and a police-man put his gun in a holster and walked over to her.

Kay and her father had always had a sort of cat-and-mouse relationship with the police. He didn't blame them for doing their job, and they never tried to hurt him. Not to mention, the men daddy stole from were rich and often didn't want the police poking their noses into private affairs. Daddy had even been friends with a few ignorant officers. This is why Kay didn't try to run, or lie, or even glare at the police-man who was speaking soothingly to her now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed.

_ Alexander wasn't finished, however. He shot out of the woods and Kay heard the gun. She felt pain spread from her side, spreading numbness throughout her whole body. When it reached her brain, she woke up and gasped._

* * *

She rolled off the bed and instantly regretted it. Her legs buckled under her, and her stitches burned. Kay fell to the floor wheezing.

Kyoya was at her side in an instant, pulling her to her feet. Kay sat back on the bed, and Kyoya sat next to her. It was pitch black outside her windows. The middle of the night.

"Why are you in my room?" she asked when she had her breath back, her voice weak and wavering.

She noticed the couch in the corner, Kyoya's unkempt appearance. Was he sleeping in here?

Kay gave him an accusing look, but he appeared too tired to explain himself. "Nightmare?" he asked.

Kay nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kyoya asked.

Kay didn't really want to drudge it up. The entire nightmare was actually a memory; the memory of her father dying. All of it was real, except, that is, for the end. Alexander never came back. He never shot her. The police took her to the station, found out she couldn't remember anything, and then sent her to an orphanage. She called Daddy's closest friend, a man named Billy, and he set her up to move to Japan and live on her own.

Kay leaned over and let her head rest on Kyoya's shoulder. He tentatively put an arm around her. She just wanted a friend right now; she didn't really want to think about what he did. She could never hate him anyway.

Kay simply said, "My dad's dead."

Kyoya remained silent.

"Alexander killed him," she said.

Kyoya nodded, "I'm sorry."

Something in his voice caught her attention. He sounded…broken. His eyes looked sunken had dark circles around them. His shoulders sagged rather than having their typical pride. He looked ready to collapse from exhaustion at any second. Kay remembered what Harley said about not sleeping.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," he said, giving her a forced smile.

She took pity on him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and said, "I forgive you."

Kyoya returned the embrace without hesitation and let out a breath of relief.

Kyoya was reluctant to let Kay go, but she pulled away and tried to stand again. He pulled her back down by the elbows. "Where do you think you're going?" Kyoya asked.

Kay shrugged. "Can't sleep."

"Try," he said firmly, pushing her back into bed by her shoulder.

He walked away, no doubt taking residency back up on the couch, and Kay listened for him to fall asleep so she could get up. She didn't relish the idea of nausea when her feet hit the ground, but she wasn't tired…was she? She blinked eyelids suddenly very heavy. Her head drooped onto her pillows…Maybe sleep wouldn't be so bad.


	19. Chapter 19

A note to readers: Sorry this one took so long, guys. I had the other chapters pre-written, which is why I was uploading every day. I have school next week and I'm really trying to get this done but...let me know if you want a sequel? I guess? It'll be mostly fluff-just a warning.

* * *

"No!"

Kyoya crossed his arms and glared at Kay. This argument would be over soon. "Yes Kay; I am sleeping in here, or not at all."

"Then don't sleep at all!" she hissed. She'd heard his back pop when he got up that morning. There was no way she was going to let him sleep on the couch anymore. "Think about my feelings," she tried, "I am very uncomfortable with a man sleeping in my room."

Kyoya didn't even flinch. "Think of how I will feel when you have another nightmare and you pop your stitches."

Kay felt a headache bearing down on her as she thought of trying to sleep with him in the room. Sure, she'd done it last night, but today the drugs were out of her system, and she had full control of her senses. She messaged her temples. Kyoya sat on the edge of her bed, and placed a hand under her chin. She looked up at him. There was tenderness in his eyes, "Just for the next few days. Until you're allowed out of bed."

Kay wouldn't relent. "Kyoya, either you sleep in your own bed, or I am not sleeping at all tonight. The second you're asleep I'll go to the study and read."

He eyes darkened, "You wouldn't."

Kay glared back, "Try me."

So, Kyoya slept in his own bed that night. Not well, of course, but he did sleep.

When Kyoya came back from school, he would bring her work to her and tutor her so she wasn't left behind in class. She picked up on everything pretty easily (except math). He would then eat dinner with her in her room, making sure she ate at least a little (apparently, Alexander knicked some internal organ- Kay didn't want to think about it). After dinner, Kyoya would stay by her side until ten o'clock, when, every night, he would reluctantly leave.

Kay had a project to keep her occupied. She worked on it while Kyoya was at school, and had it safely hidden under her bed by the time he got home. She was very excited. Kyoya's birthday was coming up soon…

* * *

_Kyoya ran to Kay and put all the pressure he dared on the large gash in her side. "Call an ambulance!" he shouted desperately to the security team in general._

_ When he looked back down, Kay's body was beginning to relax. It looked to Kyoya like her life was draining her with her blood. "Kay!" he yelled, as if calling to her could force her to stay with him._

_ Her eyes slid past him to the sky. They closed. "Kay," he said voice quiet now, "Please wake up. I need you to wake up."_

_ Her breaths were slowly becoming shallower that Kyoya could see, and he felt the pulse under his fingers begin to slow._

_ "Please don't die," he whispered. The pulse stopped completely. Kyoya kissed Kay's forehead and choked out, "I'm so sorry," into her hair._

Kyoya woke up, heart pounding. Just a dream. He glanced at his hands. They were covered in red. He blinked. No, they weren't.

Without thinking, he slid out of bed and walked down the hall. He knocked on Kay's door. No answer. He tried again. After a moment, he finally just walked in to find Kay sliding slowly out of bed, trying to answer. Of course; she could get out of bed, but she was still sore.

"Kyoya?"

Before she could even form a question, Kyoya had her engulfed a hug. He buried his face in her shoulder. The scent of her hair; the warmth of her skin. She was alive. She was alright. Just a dream.

"Nightmare?" Kay asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Kyoya remained silent and simply held her as tight as he could without hurting her side.

Kay sat down on her bed, dragging Kyoya with her. Kay was pretty sure that Kyoya was _not_ letting her go any time soon, so she was content to sit and comfort him. Kyoya, however, was barely awake and falling asleep quickly. He relaxed back onto Kay's pillows, pulling her with him, and, finally able to relax, dropped into sleep.

The next morning, it took Kay quite a bit of wriggling to finally release herself from Kyoya's grip. Of course, now she had to wake him. Kay got dressed and brushed her hair, praying he would wake on his own. No such luck. Kay tried talking, threatening, bribing, even pushing him, and he was still unconscious.

Kay had an idea; she sat next to Kyoya in bed, facing him. She brushed her fingertips along his cheek. He frowned. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. When she pulled back, he was wide awake and staring at her. "Morning!" she said cheerily.

Kyoya blinked, then tugged her down and hugged her to his chest. "Wake me like that from now on."

Kay laughed, "That's all it takes?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "Did you have more in mind?"

Kay burst into nervous giggles and pulled away again. "You're going to be late for school."

Kyoya sat up and looked around, "What was that about not being able to sleep with a man in your room?"

Kay blushed furiously and said, "Don't get used to it; this was a one-time deal."

Kyoya gave her a scary grin, "We'll see."


	20. Chapter 20

A note to readers: This is NOT turning into smut- Harley just has a dirty mind. I don't own: Arkham Asylum, Mortal Kombat, or Ju-on, the Grudge.

* * *

Kyoya's birthday was on a Saturday, so he wanted to sleep in. When he finally woke up around noon, he showered, got dressed, and checked his phone. Birthday messages from everyone in the host-club, (a total of seven from Tamaki), as well as an invitation for dinner from his sister and her husband. Kyoya told everyone he didn't want to celebrate his birthday, and it took two years of friendship for Tamaki to realize he meant it. It was nice that everyone sent wishes, however. Wait…Kyoya scrolled through the messages. Nothing from Kay.

Kyoya tried not to be disappointed. He told her he didn't want to celebrate his birthday; she was just honoring his wishes. She'd moved back in with Harley a few days ago, and he'd seen her at school, lunch, and the Host Club, as promised. Still, it felt...wrong not having her by his side.

Fuyumi already left for some meeting or another, so Kyoya was alone for breakfast. He at his oatmeal in silence, and pretended he wasn't waiting for his phone to beep. When Hotta rushed in the door, smiling and holding a package, it was clear something was wrong.

"Master Ootori," Hotta said, bowing, "This is for you."

Kyoya took the box from Hotta. It was heavy and flat. The card on the top said, "Pretend this isn't a birthday gift, -Kay."

Kyoya opened it to find a handmade scrap-book. The front said, "Ouran High School Host Club".

There were two pages devoted to every member, Kyoya included, and they were beautifully decorated. There were ticket stubs from events, and pictures of activities Kyoya didn't even remember. This had probably taken her days to complete.

Hotta watched as Kyoya stared down at the gift, slowly flipping pages. Kay had begged him to hand deliver it, knowing he wouldn't glance at it if it came in the mail. Hotta had watched Kyoya grow up, and knew that what he was feeling for this girl was more than friendship. He was happy to help. He liked her, even if she did try to rob the family he was guarding.

"Hotta," Kyoya said, carefully closing the book, "Can you take me to Kay's apartment?"

"Certainly sir," Hotta nodded.

Kyoya took the book to his room and placed it on his bed. He grabbed a jacket and headed out with Hotta.

Kay was in a video game marathon with Harley. Kay had given Hotta the gift for Kyoya yesterday, and the bodyguard said he'd deliver it as soon as Kyoya woke up. She was content with a lazy day.

Harley was kicking her butt in _Mortal Kombat_ when they heard a knock on the door. "Losers answer the door," Harley said, pausing the game and taking a swig of soda.

Kay stuck her tongue out at Harley and hopped up. Kyoya was on the other side of the door.

"Uh….Happy Birthday!" she said. She was surprised to see him. She thought he wanted to be alone.

"May I speak to you?" he asked, glancing at Harley, who was shamelessly staring at the couple like they were on a movie screen.

Kay nodded and stepped out, closing the door behind her. There was a whine from Harley on the other side, but she ignored it.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Your gift," he said. The look he was giving her was very intense, and all she could think was he was mad.

"I'm sorry, I know you said you didn't want any-" she was cut off when Kyoya kissed her.

It was their first kiss since the accident, and he pulled away after a second, not wanting to rush her. Kay's eyes grew wide, and she got up on tip-toes to kiss him again. He smirked against her lips and closed his eyes, leaning down to make it easier for her.

After a moment, they had to pull away for air. Kyoya was still an barely an inch away from Kay, who's back was pressed up against the door. He had his hands on either side of her head, leaning close. "I loved it," he whispered in her ear, kissing her temple and giving her more time to recover from the first kiss.

He pulled away from her and rested his hands on her waist. She wrapped her arms around his middle and said, "I'm glad."

Kyoya had an idea, "Come to dinner with me tonight," he said, "Fuyumi and her husband will be there."

Kay smiled, "I like your sister."

"Thank goodness. I like her, too," he kissed the top of her head and pulled away. Even on his birthday, he had work to do. "Six o'clock. Dress nice," and with that he was gone.

Kay opened the door to the apartment and Harley fell on her butt. Before Kay could tease her, however, Harley said, "If he gets you pregnant, I want nephews. They have to have your hair though."

Kay was _very _confused. Then she glanced at the door, and remembered the peep-hole for visitors. She blushed a shade of purple, and ran to her room. As she slammed the door, Harley yelled, "You guys better keep it at two, because I can't handle that much babysitting!"

"He is not getting me pregnant!" she shouted back. She tried to lock her door, but Harley yanked it open.

"After a make-out session like that in the hallway, can you blame me for wanting to warn you?" Harley smirked, and Kay grabbed a pillow from her bed, burying her face in embarrassment.

"Leave me alone," the words were muffled.

"No way," Harley said. She was already going through Kay's closet. "We gotta find ya something cute to wear for dinner."

"Dinner's not for another five hours!"

Harley gave her a look that said _seriously?_ When Kay looked confused, Harley asked, "Honey, when was the last time you brushed your hair."

"This morning," Kay bristled.

"Coulda fooled me!" Harley said, going back through her closet. "You are in serious need of some beauty help."

Harley picked out her clothes, did her makeup, and made her sit still for an hour while she tamed her wild red hair into amazingly smooth curls.

Harley backed up, examining her work, nodded, and said, "I like it; I may need a second opinion."

She called up Ryan on a face-chat and showed him while Kay felt like a china doll.

"She looks adorable!" Ryan said, "You need to make her smile, though. She looks like the girl from _Ju-on, The Grudge_."

"Smile!" Harley snapped at her like a drill sergeant.

Kay glared.

"Smile or I will hide your library card," Harley threatened. Kay plastered a fake smile on her face.

Harley and Ryan winced at the exact same time, and Kay laughed. A real laugh. They relaxed. When she smiled for real, the picture was complete. She _always_ smiled when Kyoya was in the room.

"Have fun!" Ryan said, before signing off.

Kay glanced at the clock. Still half an hour before Kyoya got here.

"Wanna play _Arkham Asylum_?" Kay asked.

Harley humored Kay by letting her spend the rest of the time solving riddles, and Kyoya showed up right on time.

Kay opened the door and Kyoya did his best not to look Kay up and down. He didn't want to make her feel degraded, but she looked very good. "Ready to go?" he asked. When did his mouth go dry?

Kay smiled and grabbed her bag, following Kyoya out the door. Harley said, "Remember protection!" and slammed the door before Kay could run back and strangle her.

Kay stopped and stared at the door, contemplating kicking it in, but Kyoya slipped his hand into hers and led her up the stairs to the car. He hadn't heard Harley.


	21. Chapter 21

A note to readers: Before anyone tries to kill me, there WILL be a sequel. Also, if you like this you *_might_* like 'The best reality', which I'm working on now, because it has a slow, cute romance. *Sequel is up* (for anyone who cares)

* * *

Evening was beginning to set when they reached the restaurant. It was the kind of place with a red carpet at the door, soft lighting, and classical music threading its way through the air. Kay felt like a crow among pigeons.

They were led to a table where Fuyumi was talking to a handsome man. He had dark skin and kind brown eyes that seemed to light up whenever she smiled. Right now he was watching Fuyumi as if she was the only girl in the universe. This was her husband, and clearly loved her. Kay felt like she was intruding just walking up to their table. Kyoya, however, had no problem.

He pulled out Kay's seat for her, then sat down himself, saying, "I told you no celebration, sister." He sounded angry, but his face said otherwise.

"Was your birthday today?" Fuyumi fluttered her lashes innocently, "I completely forgot."

Kyoya opened his mouth, no doubt to scold her, when Fuyumi changed the subject, "Kay!" she exclaimed, "I'm so happy you could join us! You know this is the first time Kyoya's brought a girl to dinner? Besides Angela, I mean; but, really, can we count her?"

Fuyumi was talking rapidly, and Kay was trying to keep up. She glanced at Fuyumi's husband, who gave her a sheepish smile, as if to say _good luck._

"Oh! How could I forget?" Fuyumi said, "This is my best friend and my husband, Adam. Adam, this is Kyoya's girlfriend, Kay."

Kay was a bit surprised at the introduction, but she did her best not to show it. Kyoya didn't correct Fuyumi.

Adam gave her a smile, "Nice to meet you."

The whole meal was very peaceful. Fuyumi and Kay kept up pleasant conversation while the men discussed business. Before Kay knew it, it was late into the night. During dessert, Kyoya got a call on his cell phone. He frowned at the number, and excused himself from the table.

Kay poked her pudding experimentally, then watched it wobble. It reminded her of a jellyfish.

"Kay," Fuyumi interrupted her seriously.

"Yes?" Kay asked.

"My brother is…different. I know you know this, but please, be patient with him. He's never really had a girlfriend before, and he's usually distant. It's just how he is. He doesn't push people away on purpose –he just prefers to be alone." Fuyumi was staring at Kay hopefully. Adam pretended to be incredibly interested in his pudding.

"I know how he is," Kay said, laughing, "He doesn't want to burden others with problems he can solve on his own."

Fuyumi nodded encouragingly. "To be honest," Kay said quietly, "I don't think I could ever get really angry with him; no matter what he did."

"Not even about-"

Kay shook her head, "Even about Angela. The need to be angry just wasn't there. I actually thought they were still together when I woke up, but a small part of me was happy because Kyoya was there for me, and that was all I needed."

Fuyumi remained quiet. "Pretty pathetic, huh?" Kay asked, staring at the floor.

"Not pathetic."

Kay looked up to see Fuyumi giving her an all-knowing smile, one that she often gave to Kyoya. "It's very sweet," she said.

"I'm sorry," Kyoya came back to the table, ending the moment. "I'm needed back home; we have to go."

He apologized to Fuyumi, shook hands with Adam, and led Kay to the limo.

"Is everything alright?" Kay asked when they were on the road.

Kyoya nodded, "Just something father needs me to sign off on. I'm sorry we had to leave early."

Kay smiled, "Its fine. I'm glad I got to go. Thank you for inviting me."

When they got to the apartment complex, Kay hopped out of the car, and Kyoya walked her to the door. "I hope you had a wonderful birthday," Kay said.

Kyoya gave her a good-night kiss that mimicked the one from earlier. "It was perfect," he said. He gave her a final hug and asked, "I'll see you at the Art Show tomorrow, right? Three o'clock with Harley?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Kay promised.

Kyoya spent the ride back to the mansion deep in thought: he had the perfect idea of what to get her for _her_ birthday; now he just needed to plan details.

* * *

Mr. Ootori watched his son walk up to the house. Kyoya's steps lacked the determination he usually exuded. Now they were light and uneven, as if he had something else on his mind. Mr. Ootori knew exactly what that was, and he was sick of it. The last thing he expected from the girl was for her to charm his son. The little minx had gone past out-right thievery and moved onto gold-digging. Well, he wouldn't stand for it. No Ootori would be extorted by some teenage slut.

Mr. Ootori straightened his tie as he thought. He decided he would take care of this tramp before she destroyed his son.

End


End file.
